In it’s first full week of legalized cannabis sales several recreational cannabis dispensaries in Illinois were closed Monday. Some dispensary owners saying strong demand has caused a shortage in supplies and led to staff exhaustion. But other speculation was that there was a shortage of state-approved employees.
The legal sale of recreational cannabis began Jan. 1 in Illinois, with customers spending about $3.2 million on the first day and more than $10.8 million over five days. By comparison, Michigan, which made recreational marijuana legal on Dec. 1, generated $3.1 million in the first two weeks of sales.
Illinois had allowed medical sales of marijuana since 2014 and essentially decriminalized marijuana possession in 2016.