Chart: U.S. marijuana industry’s economic impact to approach $70B by 2021

By Eli McVey

The U.S. cannabis industry is poised to inject nearly $70 billion on an annual basis into the American economy by 2021, an eye-popping figure that underscores the broader economic impact for towns and municipalities that accept legal marijuana businesses into their communities.

Estimates published in the newly released Marijuana Business Factbook 2017show the total economic impact of legal marijuana sales rising from $16 billion-$18 billion in 2016 to $48 billion-$68 billion by 2021 a 241% increase.

By comparison, the $68 billion figure is similar to the 2016 gross domestic products of the Dominican Republic ($72 billion) and Kenya ($67 billion), according to International Monetary Fund data.

The projections are another example of marijuanas rapid transformation from an industry dominated by black-market players into a legitimate and considerable economic force, quickly becoming a major job generator and bringing new business opportunities that produce significant ripple effects across the country.

Based on sales of medical and recreational marijuana at the retail level including flower, infused products and concentrates the estimates use an economic multiplier of four to quantify the industrys overall contribution to the economy, showing how revenue generated by cannabis businesses percolates through communities, cities, states and the nation.

In other words, for each dollar spent by marijuana patients/customers at the retail level, an additional $3 in economic benefit is realized much of it at the local level.

Following are examples of how marijuana businesses affect the economy:

• Wages paid to employees of cannabis companies benefit many other local businesses, given that workers spend a portion of their earnings to buy food from a grocery store or dine at a restaurant.
• Marijuana businesses collectively pay hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local taxes, which fund projects including roads and rural hospitals as well as government programs such as education.
• The launch of a new cannabis business cultivation facilities, in particular generate ...