ST. LOUIS BUSINESS JOURNAL — The recreational marijuana dispensary in Collinsville remains open, though dispensaries in Chicago, Rockford and Champaign were forced to close this week because of product shortages and other problems.
For example, Neal McQueeney of Midway Dispensary in Chicago said the shop stopped selling recreational marijuana Sunday and doesn’t expect to resume sales until Friday. “The demand was huge,” McQueeney told the Chicago Tribune. “We knew we were going to run out. It was a matter of when, not if.”
Dispensaries owned by HCI Alternatives in Collinsville, located along Eastport Plaza Drive, and in Springfield, Illinois, remain open. "We are making daily decisions about purchase limits and individual product limits based on daily inventory," spokesman Chris McCloud said.
Product shortage is not the only reason for closures. Jason Erkes said Cresco Labs shut its Sunnyside shops in Chicago, Rockford and Champaign to all customers to “reset” and give his staff a break after working five consecutive 14-hour days. “There are no product supply shortages, just a shortage of state-approved employees to help efficiently service the hundreds of people that have been showing up every day to make their first legal cannabis purchase in Illinois,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Recreational marijuana sales totaled more than $10.8 million in the first five days of legal sales in Illinois. Dispensaries across the state reported 271,169 sales transactions during the five days, an average of about $40 per sale, the Illinois Department of Federal and Professional Regulation reported.
Sales and transactions by date
Jan. 1 $3,176,256 77,128
Jan. 2 $2,252,586 56,762
Jan. 3 $2,209,065 55,161
Jan. 4 $2,004,019 51,174
Jan. 5 $1,189,252 30,954
Total $10,830,667 271,169
Source: Illinois Department of Federal and Professional Regulation
Read more:
- Investigation into 'Cannabus' continues after undercover video raises questions about drug dealing
- What legalized marijuana in Illinois means for Missouri residents
- What it's like at the Metro East's only recreational marijuana dispensary
- Collinsville dispensary cuts off line early after hours-long wait times