Massachusetts has sold $8 billion worth of weed since 2018, CCC announces

Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald on Jul 22, 2025

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Residents and visitors to the Bay State have officially spent $8 billion dollars on marijuana since the federally prohibited product became available for retail sale in the state in 2018, according to the Cannabis Control Commission.

The milestone comes about 7 months after the agency announced sales had surpassed the $7 billion mark, and on the heels of record-setting monthly sales in the most recent January, April, and May.

The $8 billion figure was officially reached on June 28, after what the commission described as a “record-breaking first half” of the year.

CCC Executive Director Travis Ahern says the new high point shows the public remains confident in the steadily growing industry.

“The Commission is glad to see the Commonwealth achieve another adult-use cannabis sales milestone, which demonstrates that consumers continue to have confidence in the safety and security of the regulated market,” he said.

Cannabis flower — as in the actual marijuana buds — remains the most popular pot product among consumers, according to the CCC, with $338 million worth of weed sold in that fashion from January 1 to July 6 of this year alone.

In second and third place are vape products — concentrated marijuana that is heated electronically and inhaled as a vapor — and pre-rolled joints, grossing $168.8 million and $116.4 million, respectively, so far in 2025.

The commission has issued 40 notices to commence operations to newly licensed operators this year, bringing the total number of approved retail establishments to an all-time high of 754. The commission has issued an additional 63 licenses in 2025 to businesses that are as yet not open for sales.

Selling all of that cannabis has meant a windfall for the state. According to the CCC, marijuana sales come with both the 6.25% state sales tax and an additional 13.75% excise tax.

On $8 billion in sales, that works out to be $1.6 billion in tax revenue, with $264 million collected in fiscal 2025 through the end of May. That’s up $12 million from the same point in the prior fiscal year.

The executive director seems to think the market has more room for growth, too. Later this year, the agency responsible for regulating cannabis sales in Massachusetts will start licensing “social consumption” sites. Think Amsterdam-style pot cafes, but without the plane ride across the Atlantic to the Netherlands, and probably quite close to several Dunkin Donuts.

That should mean more weed sales, according to the executive director.

Ahern said in a statement, “As we anticipate the arrival of Social Consumption businesses – an entirely new license category – in the coming months, we look forward to increasing economic growth for Massachusetts.”

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