DENVER, Colo. September 17, 2020 -- Colorado Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) released its 2020 mid-year update for January 1 to June 30, which covers much of the period when Colorado has been greatly affected by COVID-19. For the sixth year in a row, this update provides an overview of Colorado’s legal marijuana industry using data taken directly from the state’s seed-to-sale marijuana inventory tracking system.
“This type of sophisticated data collection and analysis sets MED apart,” said Jim Burack, MED Director. “We have a commitment to regularly provide these data updates, which we know are in high demand by licensees, researchers, students, and other stakeholders.”
Some key findings in this year’s update include:
- 76% of the 80 new business licenses in the first half of 2020 were adult-use business licenses.
- The number of total marijuana business licenses stayed steady over these six months, maintaining about 2,700 licenses total.
- The percentage of occupational employee two-year license renewals hovered in the low 30s, with a high of 34.2% in June and a low of 30.1% in April.
- The average life cycle of a marijuana plant harvested as of June 30, 2020 was 125 days.
- Adult-use plants accounted for approximately 73% of the total plants cultivated in Colorado during the months of January to June.
- 1,332,434 plants were being cultivated on the last day of the month in June 2020.
- Once again, Denver, Pueblo, El Paso and Boulder Counties had the highest number of plants cultivated each month.
- Adult-use marijuana continues to outpace medical marijuana in terms of volume sold to consumers. Specifically:
- 63% of the pounds of flower/bud sold
- 88% of the units of edibles sold
- 86% of the units of non-edible infused products sold
- 65% of the pounds of concentrate sold
- 84% of the units of concentrates sold
- Percentage of non-qualified sales check investigations (underage compliance checks) where licensees passed was 97%.
To view MED’s 2020 mid-year report and all previous mid-year and annual reports, please visit: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/enforcement/med-updates.