The medical marijuana market in Florida created nearly 15,000 new jobs in 2020 and employs an estimated 31,444 state residents, according to a new analysis.
Florida recorded nearly $1.23 billion in marijuana sales in 2020, according to the report posted by Leafly and Whitney Economics. Florida’s sales were more than every state except California and Colorado, where marijuana is legal for adults.
Medical marijuana patient registrations surged in Florida last year, with 170,000 new patients in 2020. According to the state’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use’s (OMMU) Feb. 12 update, 485,693 state residents are “qualified” patients who can receive prescriptions from 2,644 licensed physicians to purchase marijuana at 313 dispensaries statewide.
That growth is expected to continue, with sales projected to top $6 billion in annual sales by 2030 in Florida.
But Leafly and Whitney Economics said the state could recoup a far greater benefit if it legalized marijuana for adults and/or did away with its cumbersome, and possibly unconstitutional, regulatory scheme.
“With a state population of nearly 22 million, Florida could reasonably double its current total of cannabis jobs if it chose to legalize for all adults,” the report said. [Read more at The Apopka Voice]
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