IDPH graph.
The number of people who obtained cards to be eligible for medical marijuana rose.
The program’s chief of staff, Owen Parker, spoke about the numbers at the recent meeting of the board of directors that oversees the program. He says that at the beginning of November they exceeded 8,000 patients, and he says they are still seeing some of their highest patient numbers.
“If we go back to this time last year, that would be a 44% increase. At this time last year, we were about 4,500 patients,” Parker said. He says the increase in the number of practitioners who can prescribe medical marijuana, new products and the new limit of THC have all contributed.
“If you think back to last year or the year before, we were processing 100 or between 100 and 200 applications – in October we did 750 – so the volume keeps going up,” he said. Fumigated products began selling in August of 2019, and accounted for approximately 51% of sales in 2020. Products with a high THC level accounted for approximately 65% of sales.
The increase in patients has led to increased sales, Parker says. “During the first 10 months of 2021, we made nearly five million dollars in sales as a program. If we go back to the cumulative number of sales that were made by dispensaries last year — that’s a significant increase. Again, that’s largely due to some of those,” Parker said. New formulas.
Parker said they’ve also discontinued two dispensaries—but the new dispensary in Iowa City opened in October—which is also part of the increase in sales. Another new dispensary will open soon.
