News / Massachusetts Adult-use Cannabis Sales Hit Annual Record with $1.64 Billion Generated Over 2024
For Immediate Release
January 16, 2024
Contact
Tara Smith
Communications Manager
617-549-1166
Neal McNamara
Press Secretary
857-507-0885
Massachusetts Adult-use Cannabis Sales Hit Annual Record with $1.64 Billion Generated Over 2024
New, interactive Open Data Platform map shows regional impact of the cannabis industry
WORCESTER – Marijuana Establishments in Massachusetts generated more than $1.64 billion in gross sales in 2024, setting a new annual record for the Commonwealth while continuing to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local tax revenue.
Along with the new annual sales figures, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) is for the first time releasing county-specific data on adult- and medical-use marijuana gross sales totals. This new, interactive sales map is now available on the agency’s Open Data Platform and illustrates snapshots of the economic impact of the cannabis industry and how significant the contributions of Marijuana Retailers, delivery businesses, and dispensing Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers have become across all regions of the Commonwealth.
Gross Sales for Marijuana Establishments and Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers
The map above represents combined Marijuana Establishment and Medical Marijuana Treatment Center gross sales, broken down by Massachusetts county, since 2018. Due to limited license totals, data for Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket counties is currently available as aggregate “Cape and Islands” data.
“The cannabis industry in Massachusetts continued to mature in 2024 as the Commission approved the 700th—and counting—notice to commence operations,” Acting Chair Bruce Stebbins said. “The clear growth of the industry is the result of ongoing collaboration between Commissioners and agency staff, business owners, host communities, an engaged consumer base, and the medical community. We’re looking ahead to continued growth in 2025 and beyond as we seek to expand the industry with new social consumption licenses.”
The adult-use industry’s $1.6 billion in gross sales was one of several new records set by Massachusetts Marijuana Establishments in 2024, according to sales data from the state’s seed-to-sale system, Metrc. Licensees broke the first of three monthly sales records in July with gross sales of $142.8 million, breaking the previous monthly record of $140 million set in December 2023. The July record was quickly surpassed by gross sales hitting $147 million in August ahead of Labor Day weekend. December 2024 also narrowly eclipsed December 2023 as the industry’s third-highest sales month to date.
Two annual, unofficial cannabis holidays, April 20 and Green Wednesday, also set new single-day sales records in 2024 with gross sales reaching $8.5 million and $7.9 million, respectively. By the end of the year, Marijuana Establishment all-time gross sales reached $7.2 billion, a figure that dates back to when the first two Marijuana Retailers to open along the East Coast commenced operations in November 2018.
Regionally, Commission data confirms that Worcester County, which is also home to the agency’s Union Station headquarters, remains the cannabis capital of Massachusetts, generating. Through 2018, Worcester County Marijuana Establishments and Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers generated a combined $1.4 billion in sales. Worcester County is also currently tied with Middlesex County in hosting the most Marijuana Retailers statewide at 86 as of January 2025.
These sales records come even as the year ended with Massachusetts flower prices amounting to $4.44 per gram. The Commission continues taking steps to support licensees with responding to market changes while prioritizing the needs of consumers and patients. In addition to recently approved regulatory changes that eliminate the so-called “two-agent” rule for deliveries and laboratory transport—as well as offer expansion opportunities for Microbusinesses—Commissioners and staff issued a bulletin about tier relegation and discussed enforcement at its Jan. 9, 2025 public meeting.
Massachusetts’ 2024 sales record underscores the ongoing importance of cannabis as part of the state’s economy. The state’s Marijuana Establishments generated $272 million in state tax revenue in FY 2024. That revenue is used to fund youth programs, public awareness campaigns, and the new Social Equity Trust Fund, through which the Executive Office of Economic Development recently provided $26 million in grants to hundreds of eligible business across the state, among other important initiatives throughout the Commonwealth.
The regulated cannabis industry also continues to be a major employer in the state. To date, there are currently 20,280 individual agents serving the adult- and medical-use sectors of Massachusetts’ industry.
Delivery licensees—a category reserved exclusively for businesses representative of communities that have been disproportionately harmed by the War on Drugs—also set new sales records in 2024, generating just under $15 million, which is about $3 million more than 2023. Following a 2024 Listening Session to review the Commonwealth’s current, 36-month exclusivity period for equity businesses that provide adult-use cannabis deliveries, the Commission is expected to consider extending the carve out at a forthcoming public meeting.
Additionally, in December, the Commission revealed plans for three new social consumption license types, setting the industry on a path toward further expansion in 2025 and beyond. The new models follow the Commission’s seventh anniversary in September.
“2024 was another significant year for the maturing Massachusetts cannabis industry. The achievement of a new sales benchmark, implementation of key regulatory reforms, and celebration of the Commission’s seventh anniversary are indicative of a robust and thriving market.” Acting Executive Director Debbie Hilton-Creek said. “The Commission looks forward to continuing its work of overseeing a safe and equitable cannabis marketplace for the public, and to continue making a positive impact on the state’s economy through its partnerships with the state legislature, licensees, and stakeholders for the next seven years and beyond.”
The Commission’s new data visualization is now available to the public on its Open Data Platform and updates will be published regularly to show ongoing growth. In 2025, researchers, market forecasters, and data analysts should anticipate additional updates including different data displays and raw information for Agent Registrations, Patients, Certifying Healthcare Providers, testing results, and more.
Additional Massachusetts cannabis industry data is available by visiting the Commission’s Open Data Platform at MassCannabisControl.com, by contacting the Commission by phone (774-415-0200) or email (Commission@CCCMass.com), or following the agency on Facebook and X.
###
Get Notified
Subscribe for updates from the Cannabis Control Commission.