Marylanders spent about $1.1 billion on weed products since cannabis was legalized for retail sale a year ago.

Adult recreational consumers made up most cannabis sales since July 1, 2023, spending more than $700 million as of Monday, while medical consumers bought nearly $400 million worth of cannabis, according to a statement from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

Maryland is home to 118,702 medical marijuana patients, according to the Maryland Cannabis Administration.

About $40 million in fees went toward the state’s Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund over the first year of legalization, meant to fund local initiatives in communities that were hit the hardest by the prior criminalization of cannabis. Mr. Moore, a Democrat, touts drug legalization as spreading the wealth.

“Our new adult-use cannabis market isn’t only generating extraordinary economic activity – it’s also helping us build new pathways to work, wages, and wealth for all,” Mr. Moore said.

Marijuana legalization has brought new money into state coffers, with more than $14 million in sales taxes on the products coming in during the first quarter of 2024, according to a report from Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman.

In addition to the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund, the tax money also helps pay for a number of other disbursements, including $593,841 paid to each Maryland county and a Cannabis Public Health Fund meant to address the public health effects of legalizing marijuana in the first quarter of 2024.

Each county is paid based on how much revenue was earned there, the comptroller’s report stated.

The three most popular product categories are marijuana bud or flower, marijuana concentrates including vapes and edibles.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.