Massachusetts Cannabis Sales Exceed $2.2M in First Week

The Associated PressPublished on November 28, 2018 · Last updated July 28, 2020

veteran Stephen Mandile at Cultivate in Leicester

Stephen Mandile, right, an Iraq War veteran from Uxbridge, Mass., is the first to purchase recreational marijuana at the Cultivate dispensary on the first day of legal sales, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018, in Leicester, Mass. Cultivate is one of the first two shops permitted to sell recreational marijuana in the eastern United States, more than two years after Massachusetts voters approved it in 2016. (Steven Senne/AP)

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) — The first commercial cannabis shops in Massachusetts sold more than $2.2 million worth of marijuana products during the first five days they were open for business.

A total of 56,380 marijuana products were purchased.

That’s according to figures released Tuesday by the Cannabis Control Commission.

The stores in Northampton and Leicester began operations on Nov. 20 and combined sold $440,000 worth of cannabis that day. The busiest day was Friday after Thanksgiving when the stores reported nearly $480,000 in gross sales.

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A total of 56,380 marijuana products were purchased during the initial five-day period.

The commission released the figures without comment.

The store openings were not without a hitch as some Leicester residents complained about traffic jams and other problems during a town hall meeting Monday.

Additional Massachusetts stores are expected to open in the coming months.