Following two months of softening sales trends, most of the markets that cannabis data analytics firm BDSA covers experienced continued weakness during August. Tough comparisons from a year ago, when sales surged during the pandemic, resulted in relatively weak annual growth in most markets, with several even declining. Weak sales of flower compared to a year ago was the underlying theme. In this review, we will look at the markets one-by-one, beginning with the more mature Western markets and then concluding with the newer Eastern markets.
Western Markets
BDSA provides coverage for Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon. In August, growth ranged from -7% in California to 26% in Arizona compared to a year ago.
Arizona
Arizona transitioned to adult-use in late January, but this is the fifth month that BDSA has included adult-use sales. Total cannabis sales grew 26% to $115.3 million, with adult-use representing $55.0 million. Medical cannabis sales fell 34% from a year ago to $60.3 million. Sequentially, overall growth decreased 3.8%, with medical dropping 6% and adult-use falling 1%. Growth was strong across all categories, but the highest growth by far was in pre-rolls, which gained 176%.
California
Sales fell 7.3% to $318.4 million, down 4.2% from July. Flower fell nearly 17%, while concentrates, the second largest category, declined 8%. Pre-rolls expanded by 15%, and ingestibles grew by 6%.
Colorado
The annual decline improved from 11% in July to 6.5% in August as sales grew 1.6% sequentially to $206.2 million. Flower dropped 23% compared to a year ago, while ingestibles and concentrates both expanded by more than 7%. Pre-rolls gained 17%.
Nevada
Sales fell 3.7% to $80.8 million, down 0.8% from July. Flower fell almost 17%, while other categories showed gains. The strongest category was ingestibles, up 27.5% from a year ago.
Oregon
Sales in this mature market dropped 4.3% compared to a year ago and 3.5% from July. Flower fell 13%, while concentrates dropped almost 2%. Pre-rolls and ingestibles both gained more than 8%.
Eastern Markets
In the newer markets, the annual rate of growth picked up in two of the three markets for which BDSA provides data. Note that BDSA has begun providing data for Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania as of January. Florida sales decreased 0.6% sequentially from to $150.6 million, while Pennsylvania fell 4% from its record month in July to $105.8 million. Michigan, which we previously detailed, saw overall sales fall 3% from July to $165.6 million, up 52% from a year ago. BDSA, which includes accessories, reported a slightly higher level of sales for August at $168.8 million.
Illinois
Illinois combined adult-use and medical sales rose 2% in August, including accessories, to $156.1 million, up 63.5% compared to a year ago. Flower grew 41%, while other categories grew 49-66%. Adult-use sales, according to data from the state, increased 91% in August to $122 million.
Maryland
While the annual growth improved from 12% to 13% as sales were flat from July at $45.9 million, the market has slowed substantially over the past year. In August, flower grew 10%, while other categories gained 12-28%.
Massachusetts
The 55% growth in August was down from 63% in July as sales expanded 2% sequentially to $152.4 million. Flower grew 29%, while other categories grew 52% to 136%.
For readers interested in a deeper look at cannabis markets across these eight states and more, including segmentation by additional product categories, brand and item detail, longer history, and segmentation by product attributes, learn how BDSA Solutions can provide you with unlimited access to the most accurate and actionable data and analysis.
