Cannabis Retail Market Indicators in Five Legal States in the United States: A Public Health Perspective

•Cannabis market data can provide insights for public health planning and evaluation.•In June 2022, cannabis retailers varied from 16.8 (OR) to 3.0 (MA) per 100,000 residents.•FY22 pre-tax cannabis sales per resident varied from $382.97 (AK) to $180.94 (WA).•Markets grew rapidly early on; CO and WA showed declining licensed sales after 7 years.•Regulatory frameworks and market maturity may affect market indicators. Adult-use cannabis markets are operating in multiple US states and abroad. Sales and licensing data for alcohol and tobacco are often used to understand consumption patterns and evaluate policy changes. Cannabis market data may provide similar insights, although these newly legal markets are complex and evolving, and the state data structures can differ. This study describes variations in market indicators and discusses the utility of cannabis market metrics from a public health perspective. We collected data from 5 early-adopting adult-use cannabis states: Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington. Analyses focused on licensed retail outlets and retail sales revenues (pretax). Monthly data were collected from the opening of each state's adult-use market through June 2022. Joinpoint software was used to assess state trends and identify points of inflection in trends. Average sales per retailer for June 2019 and June 2022 were compared. Also described are retailers and revenue per population for 2022. All states showed 4 distinct periods of growth in retail licensee numbers. The greatest increases typically occurred in the first 3 to 4 months. Growth rates slowed to