The COVID-19 pandemic has caught the world completely off guard. It changed the way everything works, and it made a significant impact on most industries all over the globe. The cannabis industry also saw some massive changes due to its impact.

In four years, the cannabis industry’s job growth has increased 161%, quickly beating predictions from other industries 10 years from now.

Leafly’s fifth annual cannabis jobs report showed the cannabis industry to support 321,000 full-time equivalent jobs in 2021! An incredible number for an amazing and highly-deserving industry.

It can be argued that the high taxes are well-intentioned, signaling support for an inclusive cannabis market.

Due to ongoing federal prohibition, America’s cannabis regulations remain fragmented by state. Until reform occurs, states will continue to set their program frameworks, including how it taxes the supply chain, with consumers feeling the brunt directly by taxes or indirectly by retailers up-charging to offset costs.

Sales of marijuana concentrates shot up more than 40 percent last year and accounted for a larger share of the overall cannabis market, as consumers became more comfortable with the intricate process of dabbing and new technology has made the products easier to use.

In addition, some consumers are moving away from vape products because of respiratory-related health concerns and turning to concentrates such as wax, hash and shatter, according to industry insiders.

State Rep. Yadira Caraveo says her proposal to limit the potency of marijuana sold recreationally in Colorado was just in its beginning stages. But when draft legislation was recently leaked and prominent figures in the state’s cannabis industry created an uproar, the measure started unraveling. 

Now, Caraveo, a Thornton Democrat and pediatrician, is backing off parts of the measure and loosening the restrictions in what’s left.

“Given the pushback that we’ve had overall on the bill,” she said, “we really want to streamline it and focus it on the things that we think absolutely need to happen this year.”

Amid a global pandemic that disrupted many facets of commerce, Colorado’s marijuana industry experienced its most lucrative year on record with $2.2 billion in sales in 2020.

According to figures released Tuesday by the state Department of Revenue, dispensaries sold $186,343,208 in cannabis products in December, up 6.4% compared to the previous month. That brought the sales total for 2020 to $2,191,091,679.

The state collected nearly $32.4 million in taxes and fees in December, pushing the annual tax total to $387.4 million in 2020. And January proved to be an even bigger month for tax and fee collections as the state hauled in almost $35 million, according to the data released Tuesday.

Once again, out-of-state business entities and owners took the majority of dispensary and processor permits for West Virginia’s long-awaited medical cannabis program.

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Resources’ Office of Medical Cannabis announced that 100 dispensaries between 32 companies with locations in 23 counties had been selected. The Office of Medical Cannabis announced the selection of 10 growers in October 2020 and 10 processors in November 2020.

Cannabis sales in Colorado eclipsed a record $2 billion in 2020, state records show.

According to the Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED), adult-use cannabis shops throughout the Centennial State raked in nearly $1.6 billion year-to-date through November.

Meanwhile, medical marijuana dispensaries sold more than $405 million worth of products during the 11-month period.

By comparison, Colorado dispensaries sold a total of $1.7 million worth of cannabis in 2019.

December figures have not been released, however, between January and November, sales of cannabis were up 25% compared to the same 11-month period in 2019.

As states report cannabis sales numbers for 2020, record highs continue across the country. It’s become a billion-dollar business for several states, blowing out levels that states had estimated when originally planning legalization.