And the beat goes on. The record-beating marijuana sales, that is.

Our former marijuana reporter Sue Vorenberg writes that Washington’s recreational pot industry set yet another sales record over the holiday weekend. Here’s an excerpt from Sue’s latest post on her new personal blog:

“The state set a new record on May 22 with $1,876,502.69 ($1.9 million) in sales and $469,126 in excise tax, according to information released today by the Washington State Liquor Control Board.

Washington’s prior record was set on May 1, netting $1.83 million in daily sales and $459,203 in excise tax. You can read about that on Cannabis Chronicles here: Vancouver on top as Washington sets new sales record.

So far, the state is reporting $204.5 million in marijuana sales since stores first opened in July 2014. That’s also $51.1 million in excise tax.”

Read the rest of Sue’s post here.

The industry has come a long way since its launch last summer, and it continues to post month-over-month sales increases. Since the first pot shops opened in July, average daily sales statewide have grown more than eleven-fold to more than $1.25 million.

At this point, there’s no telling when marijuana sales figures will plateau. Oregon stores are expected to open in October 2016, and industry experts in Washington are anticipating another big sales increase for the July 4 weekend, just a few days after possession becomes legal on the south side of the Columbia River.

– Justin Runquist