Massachusetts adult-use cannabis establishments set sales record ahead of potential expansion this year

WORCESTER – According to a release, marijuana Establishments in Massachusetts grossed more than $1.65 billion in sales in 2025, setting a new annual record ahead of potential changes coming in 2026 including new social consumption licenses and the federal government’s proposed rescheduling of cannabis. The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) reports year-end sales totals through its Open Data Platform based on data input by licensees into the state’s seed-to-sale system of record, Metrc. 

A record number of unique transactions buttressed Commonwealth sales in 2025, helping to end the year approximately $3 million higher compared to 2024 as average cannabis prices continued to ebb. Retailers recorded 46.3 million transactions in 2025, about 3.4 million more than in 2024. At the end of June, Marijuana Establishments crossed the $8 billion gross sales mark, a milestone that followed a record-breaking first half of the year when gross sales totaled $806 million. The Massachusetts adult-use cannabis industry in 2025 also set records for its best-ever months of January, April, May, July, October, and December.

“The cannabis industry in Massachusetts continued to mature in 2025 with the number of cannabis businesses reaching the highest point since adult-use sales began in 2018,” Commission Chair Shannon O’Brien said. “While gross sales remain high, the Commission will look to remove regulatory hurdles in 2026 through the new Red Tape Removal Committee, which will help licensees stabilize and plan for the future as the industry continues to evolve.” 

“Commissioners and staff are hard at work preparing for a potential expansion of the industry related to social consumption and the prospect of new research opportunities should the federal government reschedule cannabis,” Executive Director Travis Ahern said. “With critical changes on the horizon, the Commission remains focused on adapting its policies, protocols, and oversight in a way that continues building out a safe, equitable, and effective cannabis industry for Massachusetts.”

Alongside gross sales, the state’s Marijuana Establishments generated $289 million in state tax revenue in fiscal year 2025, which ended June 30, according to data reported by the Department of Revenue. Generated off the 6.25% sales tax and 10.75% marijuana excise tax, adult-use cannabis revenue supports Massachusetts’ state budget and is allocated by the Legislature to fund restorative justice programs, public awareness campaigns, the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund—which offers grants to qualified entities that have been disproportionately impacted by previous marijuana prohibition—and substance use prevention, among other initiatives mandated to be supported by state tax revenue such as the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority and Massachusetts School Building Authority. Municipalities that operate as host communities to licensees also may receive up to a 3% local option tax to contribute to their local budgets. 

The regulated cannabis industry continues to be a major employer in the state. To date, there are approximately 21,000 individual agents serving the adult- and medical-use sectors in Massachusetts. As of November 2025, 416 Marijuana Retailers, Delivery Operators, and Microbusinesses with delivery endorsements – the three Marijuana Establishment types that sell directly to consumers – had been granted notices to commence operations compared to 406 at the same point in 2024.

April 20 and Green Wednesday – the two main, unofficial cannabis holidays each year – fell just short of single-day sales records set in previous years but remained high performers for Massachusetts Marijuana Establishments. The “4/20” holiday in 2025 coincided with Easter Sunday and the Patriots’ Day long weekend. Taken as a whole, retailers earned $14.62 million between April 19 and 21, a record for any Patriots’ Day weekend dating back to 2018. Retailers grossed $7.8 million in sales on the pre-Thanksgiving Green Wednesday holiday, about 1.4 percent lower than 2024. But retailers broke a record on Thanksgiving, selling $745,000 worth of products on the holiday, nearly $150,000 more than 2024. 

Near the end of 2024, Commissioners approved a slate of changes aimed at expanding access to medical cannabis and lowering regulatory burdens such as the so-called “two-agent” rule. Commissioners ended 2025 by approving three new social consumption license types and streamlining agent registrations for licensees and employees. Implementation of the new social consumption framework has already begun. Additionally, starting this month, the Commission will for the first time review Marijuana Cultivators at their annual license renewal to possibly utilize tier relegation regulations and reduce an entity’s canopy capacity. As of December 2025, active Marijuana Cultivators and Microbusinesses had the capacity to grow up to 4.57 million square feet of cannabis canopy in Massachusetts.

The Commission in the coming weeks will also decide whether to extend beyond April 1, 2026 exclusive access to delivery licenses, which are currently only available to business owners representative of communities that have been disproportionately harmed by the War on Drugs. The Commission’s Open Data Platform identifies Marijuana Delivery Operators grossed nearly $16.5 million over calendar year 2025, an increase of more than $4 million compared to 2024.