Marijuana Sales Skyrocket on 420 Day, Break New Records

April 20, Denver, CO: Marijuana sales across Denver and statewide in Colorado set new records on April 20th, the unofficial holiday known as “420 Day.” Dispensaries reported their highest sales volumes ever, with some locations selling more cannabis in a single day than they had in the previous month combined.

“420 Day has always been our biggest sales day of the year, but this year’s numbers blew previous records out of the water,” said Jane Doe, owner of Colorado Green Academy, one of Denver’s largest dispensaries. Her dispensary alone sold over 2,000 units of flower, concentrates, edibles and other products, totaling nearly $1 million in revenue. “By 4:20pm this afternoon, we had already exceeded our entire sales totals from last year’s 420 Day.”

According to the Colorado Department of Revenue, statewide marijuana sales on April 20 reached $34.3 million, a 31% increase over the previous record set last year. Denver sales accounted for nearly half the total at $16.5 million. Consumers in Denver waited hours in long lines outside popular dispensaries and caused traffic jams, eventually prompting Denver Police to close some businesses that became too overcrowded.

While marijuana businesses and customers celebrated the historic sales, others voiced concerns about the commercialization of a once counter-culture holiday and its effects on marijuana use, especially among teens. “420 Day promotes the normalization of drug use, which is concerning as substance abuse continues to rise among youth,” said a spokesperson for Smart Colorado, a group opposed to legalization. However, marijuana legalization advocates argue that Colorado's regulated legal market reduces the black market for drugs and associated criminal activity.

With hundreds of dispensaries across Colorado's 66 counties set to remain open, the new sales records set on 420 Day are a testament to the lasting impact of legalization in the state. Colorado's official "Cannabis Day" may still be on the horizon.