May D.C. medical cannabis sales drop again
D.C.’s medical cannabis program is experiencing a downturn in sales despite a promising start to spring and a patient increase. May 2024 marked the program’s lowest sales figures in the last four years for the same month, according to the monthly sales report released by the Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Administration.
Sales figures show a nearly 10% drop from April and a 16.7% decrease compared to May 2023. This comes amidst a period of expansion, with the number of operational dispensaries nearly doubling to ten. The program is anticipating the expiration of nearly 6,800 patient registrations by the end of August which eclipses the few hundred new patients registering a month.
The continued slump in sales raises concerns as the overall program sales have not increased in correlation with new retail locations opening. This means a little under $3 million in dispensary sales is now being split between 10 retail locations instead of the six that were open in February when sales were $2.5 million.
- ABC Board meeting on Wednesday at 10:30 A.M. watch here.
- Items for review include more licenses and a stay of motion concerning DC Smoke and ANC 2C’s protest which was denied.
Maryland pardons continue to make waves
A man arrested for “crumbs of cannabis” which chased him for years said that he was seeing a clearer future with the ability to get his record expunged now. The state’s pardons now lead the nation to a total 2.5 million people with forgiven cannabis convictions. But some say the pardons are not enough to clear people’s records and free others from incarceration.
- Mary & Main was fined $13,000 by MCA for not reporting ownership changes for the last three years.
East Coast Roundup
Connecticut’s cannabis reinvestment program faces scrutiny after grants intended for drug-war impacted communities went to a church attended by a program official.
New York’s “Operation Padlock to Protect” has led to the closure of close to 400 cannabis shops and an over 25% rise in legal sales.
Pennsylvania medical marijuana sales boomed last year despite software glitches causing manual data entry and downtime. The state’s sales could top $2.8 billion within the year.
Culture & More
A London homeowner discovered his house turned into a cannabis farm by people who exploited a rental scam.
A study following pregnant women found that those who used cannabis were more likely to experience negative pregnancy outcomes, including a significantly higher risk of fetal death and low birth weight.
Around the Country
California’s state fair will be the first in the U.S. to allow legal marijuana sales and consumption on-site during its July 2024 event.
Florida’s recreational cannabis ballot measure is the most funded of its kind at over $40 million raised. Trulieve has made significant contributions.
An inspection of a cannabis farm in New Mexico uncovered labor trafficking. Dozens of Chinese workers were found living in poor conditions and forced to work. This case highlights a new trend of Chinese migrants entering the US illegally to work in the booming cannabis industry, with some farms exploiting these workers.
From the swamp
Colorado and Maryland’s governor called on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to finalize cannabis rescheduling as reports of the administration dragging their feet arise.
