Arizona Dispensaries Sold Over 43 Tons of Medical Marijuana in 2017

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While the Grand Canyon State may have failed to legalize recreational marijuana in 2016, Arizona dispensaries ran full steam ahead with medical marijuana sales in 2017.

According to an end-of-year report from the Arizona Department of Health Services, Arizona dispensaries sold more than 43 tons of medical marijuana by the end of 2017, representing a 48% increase from the total amount sold in 2016.

As far as the types of products in demand in 2017, marijuana flower is still the market leader, accounting for approximately 92.5% of transactions at Arizona dispensaries. Edibles accounted for approximately 4.3% of transactions and other marijuana products, such as tinctures and concentrates, represented 3.2% of transactions.

A significant increase in the number of licensed medical marijuana patients in 2017 was likely a contributing factor to the increased amount of product sold that year. By the end of 2017, the state had 162,708 licensed patients, indicating a 42% increase in patient enrollment from 2016.

Of the total number of registered patients, 85.29% have chronic pain listed as the qualifying condition, making it the individual condition accounting for the largest share of patients.

At 38%, women still make up the minority of medical marijuana patients in the state, as men represent 62% of the patient population.

While the ADHS only provides the amount of medical marijuana sold by Arizona dispensaries, Capitol Media Services has estimated that the 43 tons of medical marijuana sold in 2017 equates to approximately $275 million in retail sales.

Caroline Cahill was the Managing Editor of MJINews from June 2014 through February 2018. She earned her BA in Communications from College of Charleston and her MFA in Creative Writing from Virginia Commonwealth University. You can follow her on Twitter @CtheresaC.

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