Arizona is sitting high on cloud nine and for a good reason. Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics reveals in their informational 2019 State and Legal Cannabis Markets report that Arizona made the top 10 list of states to bring in the most profit from their medical cannabis programs. Sliding into 8th place, Arizona harvested a nice profit of $705 million thanks to its medical cannabis industry.
Arizonians consumed a mind-blowing 61 tons of medical marijuana in 2018. Last year, they consumed 83 tons! This means patients of medical cannabis in Arizona have roughly doubled their consumption rate of the substance over the past couple years.
According to Arizona law, you cannot buy or use marijuana for recreational purposes. You can, however, get prescribed up to 2.5 ounces (94.5 g) of cannabis every two weeks if you have received your Medical Marijuana Certification. Some conditions covered under the law include PTSD, cancer and AIDs. Most patients who are prescribed cannabis in Arizona receive their prescriptions because they suffer from chronic pain.
The significant increase is cannabis consumption in Arizona is likely fueled by residents becoming more aware of the medicinal benefits of marijuana. An increasing willingness among doctors to write prescriptions for cannabis, as well as dispensary owners’ willingness to cultivate, process and distribute the drug, has also helped shape the cannabis industry into one that generates massive amounts of money.
In 2018, sales for cannabis edibles in Arizona increased by 34% when compared to sales in 2017. Sales increased by a whopping 83% for resin extracts. These increases could indicate Arizona’s residents have thrown the stereotypical version of a ‘stoner’ out the window and replaced it with a more realistic version of the truth. And the truth is, medical marijuana has a substantial amount of evidence outlining its benefits, and it comes in many forms. You don’t have to smoke cannabis to gain its medicinal benefits, and this in and of itself has transformed many people’s opinions regarding both medical and recreational marijuana legalization in the state.
Final Thoughts
No doubt about it, the cannabis industry is booming. Laws surrounding the industry will likely change over the next decade, so it’s important to keep up with them. You’ll also want to keep coming back to our blog to learn about the many ways in which medical cannabis can be used. New research is constantly revealing new information amount medical marijuana and how it helps the body.
