PUEBLO – People spent more money on marijuana in March 2019 than any other month since recreational marijuana sales began nearly five and a half years ago. According to data released by the Colorado Department of Revenue, sales of recreational and medical marijuana exceeded $142.4 million in March, over $1 million more than the previous top month for sales, August 2018.
“It’s very evident the industry is growing fast,” said Paul Lyons, Vice President of Operations NuVue Pharma, a medical and recreational marijuana dispensary in Pueblo. Pueblo County exceeded $6 million in recreational marijuana sales for the first time in March. “The industry is moving fast and the customer base is moving fast,” Lyons said.
NuVue is among the larger dispensaries expanding their footprint amid continually growing sales in Colorado, even as more and more states across the country legalize, creating new competition. “We have seen so much growth that we have extended our market,” Lyons said. “We’ve moved into the Trinidad market and the Colorado Springs market.”
March’s record sales represent over $20 million in increased revenue compared to February, partly due to February having three fewer days. Statewide, $1 billion in marijuana sales are achieved roughly every eight months. As of March, total revenues since the beginning of legal recreational sales in January 2014 had topped $6.4 billion.
Pueblo County’s $6.1 million in recreational marijuana sales in March were nearly ten times the sales total for medical marijuana. El Paso County sold more than $8.5 million in medical marijuana in March, but sales at the county’s two recreational stores in Manitou Springs are not reported due to confidentiality requirements.
