Illinois Rakes In $3.2M On Legal Cannabis Sales On First Day

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A bud on a growing marijuana plant is shown at Essence Vegas' 54,000-square-foot marijuana cultivation facility on July 6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. On July 1, Nevada joined seven other states allowing recreational marijuana use and became the first of four states that voted to legalize recreational sales in November's election to allow dispensaries to sell cannabis for recreational use to anyone over 21. Since July 1, sales of cannabis products in the state have generated more than USD 1 million in tax revenue.
Big weed, big bucks.

Cannabis became far more socially acceptable in the past 10 years than it ever has in the past. Recreational use has become legalized in many parts of the world, most recently in the state of Illinois. According to CNN, the sales from a single day of cannabis legalization brought in a hefty $3.17M on its first day.

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Thirty-seven dispensaries across Illinois opened up with over 77,128 transactions that brought in nearly $3.2M within a single day, according to Illinois Governor's top advisor for cannabis control, Toi Hutchinson. "The amazing thing about that is that there's a significant portion of these dollars that go directly into this community reinvestment fund, so we can continue to rebuild communities that have been hardest hit by the war on drugs," Hutchinson said at a news conference. "So sales are great but let's never lose sight on the impact that we're having on families around this state," he added. 

Illinois became the eleventh state to legalize the plant for recreational use in 2019. The new law, however, was historic in the battle for cannabis legalization. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed off on the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act which made any sales from legal cannabis to clear roughly 770k small cannabis-related cases. The state also plans on putting those dollars towards drug treatment type programs and a few other resources for the community.


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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