2021 Illinois Weed Sales Double 2020’s, Blow Past $1.3 Billion

According to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), $669,084,410.12 worth of recreational marijuana was sold in Illinois in 2020.

I guess more Illinois people (and out-of-state residents, too) found the addresses of their local dispensaries in 2021. A lot more.

Out Of State Residents Really Brought Some Money Across The Border

I don't want to name any names, but let's just say that people with strong ideas about cheese and beer paid more than a few visits to Illinois' weed emporiums than they did last year. I'm sure that there were a few corn experts dropping in from the west, too.

The IDFPR says that out-of-staters crossed the borders and contributed $436,176,093.93 to Illinois' coffers in 2021, compared to 2020's take of  $172,646,950.57.

When you add in the $943,013,285.67 spent by Illinois residents, you get a grand total of $1,379,088,278.61 in overall 2021 recreational marijuana sales for the state.

What Produces More Tax Revenue For Illinois, Booze Or Weed?

If you were thinking that perhaps recreational marijuana is simply a fad that will fade away fairly quickly, and that beer, wine, and liquor are still the big boys when it comes to revenue, you may be as surprised as I was to learn that's not the case.

MarijuanaMoment.net reports that Illinois has generated almost $100 million more in tax revenue from adult-use marijuana sales than from alcohol in 2021, and cannabis tax dollars have exceeded those for liquor every month since February.

From January to November of 2021, Illinois took in about $387 million in marijuana tax dollars, compared to $291 million from liquor sales, according to the Illinois Department of Revenue (DOR). The only month where alcohol tax revenue outpaced cannabis this year was January.