Retail sales figures for Massachusetts’ adult-use market for the entirety of June are now available on the state Cannabis Control Commission’s (CCC’s) Open Data Platform, which includes information on retail sales and product distribution in the state’s adult-use market, as well as data on plant counts from licensed cultivators.
In June, licensed adult-use retailers in Massachusetts generated almost $41.5 million in gross revenue. That figure is up by 12.6% compared to May’s adult-use sales of over $36.8 million. Monthly adult-use sales revenues continue to grow at a strong clip, but the rate of increase has been slowing progressively as 2019 wears on. May’s monthly sales were up by 19.5% relative to April’s, which represented an increase of about 26% compared to March’s.
The pace of licensing continues to proceed relatively slowly in Massachusetts. For much of June, 19 retailers had received permission from the CCC to sell to the adult-use market, a number that increased to 20 by the end of the month, as of June 27 to be exact. In May, 17 retailers were cleared to operate for most of the month, with another added to their ranks on May 20.
Plant count information contained in the state’s Open Data Platform indicates that the number of plants harvested in June was down compared to the month prior. The month-over-month downturn in production is a first for Massachusetts’ young adult-use market. Final figures for May show 25,508 plants harvested that month, up by 43.3% from 17,795 plants cut down in April. However, CCC data states that 22,053 plants were harvested in June, down by 13.5% from the previous month.
As of early June, 12 cultivators had been licensed by the CCC to serve the adult-use market, up by one compared to the number with permission to commence operations as of late May. By June 27, two additional growers had received permission to operate and supply the adult-use system, bringing the total to 14. It is possible that the contraction in harvested plants in June was due to existing growers being in between harvests last month. In any case, with more cultivators authorized to operate for July, it is likely that production will be on the upswing once again in the near future.