(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Pot is the third most valuable crop grown in the state of Illinois, according to a company that provides information about cannabis.
Leafly has issued its first annual Cannabis Harvest Report and says that in Illinois cannabis comes in well behind corn and soybeans but ahead of hay and wheat when considering wholesale value.
The wholesale value of Illinois cannabis for fiscal 2021 was estimated at $322 million. By comparison, corn generated $9.3 billion, while soybeans generated $7 billion, the report said; hay generated $221 million and wheat $191 million.
Leafly says 66 metric tons of cannabis is grown annually in this state, which amounts to less than 3% of the total amount of legal pot grown in the United States.
In the 11 states in which pot use is legal, Leafly’s report says cannabis is the fifth most valuable crop overall.
More than 5 million pounds of pot is legally grown in the United States each year, which is enough to roll more than two billion joints or fill 57 Olympic-size swimming pools.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said adult-use sales of recreational marijuana was more than $123 million in October.
That brings the year-to-date sales of cannabis products in Illinois to more than $1.1 billion.
Related
