Illinois said $3.2 million worth of legal marijuana was sold on Tuesday, the first day the drug could legally be purchased for recreational use in the state, as a new law went into effect that could also clear the records of hundreds of thousands of people with arrest records.
- Illinois’ Department of Financial and Professional Regulation reported that the cash was generated from over 77,000 transactions.
- Cannabis can be purchased without a prescription from a state-approved dispensary by anyone 21 years or older—and nonresidents are allowed to buy the drug, but in smaller quantities than residents, according to the legislation.
- The Chicago Tribune reported that state Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton was seen purchasing cannabis gummies from a dispensary, receiving applause from customers as she completed her sale.
- Illinois is the eleventh state (plus D.C.) to legalize cannabis in the U.S., and Bloomberg reported that the state expects to eventually fetch between $2 billion and $4 billion in annual sales.
- Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker has also pardoned over 11,000 people with prior marijuana convictions as part of the new law, and over 700,000 people who have been arrested because of the drug could have those records forgiven as well.
Source: Forbes
