The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) recently released a report of its latest recreational cannabis sales data. In June, the state collected $132.8 million in recreational cannabis sales (the highest per-month amount for the year of 2023 so far), and $19 million in medical cannabis sales. Since the state’s adult-use cannabis sales began in November 2018, it has collected a total of $4.74 billion in adult-use sales.

According to a graph dictating the popularity of specific cannabis products, flower is the most common type by a wide margin with over $2.9 billion in sales since 2018. This is followed by vaping products ($857 million), edibles ($685 million), pre-rolls ($622 million), and concentrates ($367 million).

The report also includes plant cultivation activity, updated as of July 7 but only reflects plant data up to April 2023. A total of 3,400 plants have been harvested up until that point, with 983 plants destroyed (although reasons for this were not listed).

The state is still working out how to regulate both cannabis consumption, as well as other substances such as psilocybin. While the state’s 2016 ballot question that legalized cannabis set the foundation for licensed cannabis cafes, regulators have yet to agree on how to move forward with consumption lounges. In May, Massachusetts regulators vetoed a pilot program that would have tested social cannabis cafes in 12 communities.

However, some cities such as Salem, Massachusetts became the sixth city in the state to end arrests for possession of psilocybin. Advocacy groups such as Bay Staters for Natural Medicine are working to push this change in other towns including Somerville, Cambridge, Northampton, Easthampton, and Amherst. Separately, a Massachusetts-based Temescal Wellness also recently made waves for being one of the first cannabis businesses to make April 20 a paid holiday for its employees.

Massachusetts’ record high sales reflect growing demand for cannabis in the eastern U.S. alongside other states that are also seeing success or launching their own legal cannabis industries. Its southern neighbor of Connecticut has also seen record sales, collecting more than $23 million during the month of May. In June, Connecticut also officially launched legal home cultivation, allowing adults to grow up to six plants at home under state law.

Maryland’s legal cannabis industry recently began on July 1, and collected more than $20 million during its first week. Vermont recently reported high sales in February with $6.4 million.

Maine recreational cannabis sales began in 2020, but in January the state announced that it has collected $158.9 million in 2022, which is nearly twice the amount that was collected in 2021. However, more recent reports show that more than 1,300 caregivers have left the state’s medical cannabis program since recreational legalization began.

New Hampshire legislators recently rejected a cannabis legalization bill (which caused one representative to switch from Republican to Independent), but the state did recently extend medical cannabis access to outsiders including both U.S. citizens as well as Canadians. Rhode Island is also slowly but surely making its way into the future by officially switching from paper applications to digital for medical cannabis. Not to mention how New York is moving quickly to open up new cannabis dispensaries amidst an oversupply of cannabis flower.

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According to Temescal Wellness Director of Retail and Customer Engagement, Sian Leininger, this honors both cannabis culture as well as employees. “4/20 is a day to show appreciation, love and respect for cannabis and its power to help amplify the health and happiness that people experience in their daily lives,” Leininger said in a press statement. “For us, it’s a day to celebrate our employees, whose passion, knowledge and true dedication inspires their unparalleled service to our customers and our community all of the other days of the year.”

The paid holiday extends to retail employees, as well as production facilities and corporate offices as well. Leininger added that closing up shop on one of the biggest days of the year isn’t as important as the wellbeing of their employees. “One of our core company values is wellness—and that means the wellness of our customers, our community, and our entire team,” said Leininger. “While 4/20 is one of our most profitable days, we hope making it a paid holiday off for our team elevates it as a day for everyone to celebrate cannabis and the community around it.”

To supplement the April 20 holiday closure, Temescal Wellness is offering various price offers and “its most comprehensive menu to date” throughout the month of April.

According to a 2022 sales report from Akerna, cannabis sales were high during the entire week and weekend leading up to the unofficial holiday. Last year 4/20 landed on a Wednesday, and while that day did see the highest amount of money collected from sales between April 15-20, sales from Friday, April 15, 2022 were a close second. The data company also recorded that sales overall in 2022 were less than that of 2021.

This year, 420 is gearing up to be another massive celebration of the plant. Many events are returning, some for the first time since the pandemic hit. 4/20 at Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco will not only be returning in full swing, but it’s also live streaming the event for those who can’t attend in person (for a fee). The Mile High 420 Festival returns to Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado on April 20 as well. The National Cannabis Festival will be held at the RFK Festival Grounds in Washington, D.C. on April 22. Even Willie Nelson, who’s turning 90 this year on April 29, is holding a one-of-a-kind concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California that features not just him, but a massive cast of musicians.

April 20 has gone from underground, “unofficial” holiday to actual holiday over the past few years, as medical and recreational legalization has spread throughout the country. Like many other holidays, such as Saint Patrick’s Day or Christmas, the origin of 420 has become a legend. There are many variations of its origin and who was involved, but most believe that students of San Rafael High School in San Rafael, California (referred to as the 420 Waldos) coined the term to secretly communicate a meet-up time to smoke cannabis at the campus statue of Louis Pasteur. 

High Times Magazine Editor-in-Chief Ellen Holland went to check out the statue last year, but the statue was in storage until campus construction was completed. Her 420 pilgrimage of sorts led her to a few 4/20 parties as she detailed her journey in her article “Finding 420.”

Do you think that April 20 should be a paid holiday for everyone who works in the cannabis industry? How would you choose to celebrate if you got the day off? Let us know in the comments!

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