The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) recently released its monthly report on the state’s medical cannabis program for October 2018. Retail sales volume of flower – and all products combined – reached new all-time highs, exceeding the record-setting levels recorded in August. However, wholesale pricing does not appear to have responded to the historic demand, as it held steady over the course of October and has experienced a small downturn this month.
As of October, Arizona’s medical cannabis program counted 182,784 patients on its rolls. That figure is up by 1.5% from the 180,126 patients registered in the program at the end of September. The rate of increase in the state’s patient count in October represents a rise compared to the 1% uptick in registered patients recorded the month prior.
According to ADHS numbers, 10,353 pounds of cannabis flower were sold through the state’s dispensaries in October, a figure that is up by 5.8% compared to the 9,789 pounds retailed to registered patients in September. Additionally, October’s flower sales volume represents a new monthly record for Arizona’s market, exceeding the previous high of 10,005 pounds of flower retailed in August.
The ADHS report also includes sales volume figures for edibles and “marijuana other,” which constitutes extracts and non-edible infused products. October saw 426 pounds of edibles sold, up from 378 pounds sold the month prior. “Marijuana other” products also saw a significant increase in sales volume in October; 493 pounds of “marijuana other” products were retailed in Arizona in October, compared to 438 in September.
Combined sales volume of all product types reached a new record high in October, of 11,272 pounds, surpassing the previous peak cumulative sales volume of 10,826 pounds of all product types sold in August.
October 2018’s total sales volume is up by 40.2% year-over-year, relative to the 8,041 pounds of all product types sold to patients in October 2017. October 2018’s flower sales volume considered on its own is up by a slightly smaller proportion – 39.1% – compared to the 7,441 pounds retailed at the same time a year prior.