2015 was a record breaking year for cannabis sales, climbing to $5.4 billion which is a 17.4 percent increase from $4.6 billion in 2014.

These numbers combine medicinal and recreational sales from the year. The explosive increase is a factor of four states and the District of Colombia legalizing marijuana for recreational use over the past year or two. Specifically, recreational sales hit $998 million, jumping up from a mere $351 million in 2014.

Many other states are paying close attention to these numbers when deciding what issues to put on their ballots for the coming 2016 election.

States like Colorado and Washington are leading the pack in paving the way for new business models and growth. The growing marijuana market continues to introduce a number of innovative products and expects to see sales and growth to continue to rise over the next years.