The last decade has seen enormous change in the cannabis industry in the US. With 28 states and the District of Columbia having legalized medical marijuana and 8 states approving its recreational use, the decriminalization of weed – both in spirit and actuality – is fast approaching.

The Arizona Medical Marijuana Initiative, also known as Proposition 203, was approved on November 2nd of 2010, allowing Arizona residents with certain medical conditions to be treated with marijuana. The Arizona Department of Health Services was tasked with regulating the sale and use.

In 2016, that use exceeded expectations. Arizonians bought 29 tons of cannabis products last year, according to a report published by the DHS yesterday. The vast majority of patients are buying buds and smoking the cannabis, but an astounding two tons of products were sold as edibles and in concentrated form.

In 2015, 19 tons of cannabis products were sold, showing a 53 percent increase in 2016; at $350 an ounce with a nine percent sales tax, the Arizona State Treasury took in $29.5 million from the retail sales of the industry.

With more Arizona residents holding medical marijuana cards than ever before, it seems likely that recreational use is not far away: This past November, Proposition 205 was turned down by a slim margin; those against recreational use won 48-52.

Colorado, one of the first states to approve the recreational industry, showed a $2.4 billion boon in its ledger, boosting job growth, real estate, and education. With fellow legalized states Washington and Oregon showing similar developments, more states are likely to overturn those naysayers in the upcoming elections.

Until then, the Arizona Initiative directs profits to the public school system, with 40 percent of revenue benefitting overhead costs like construction and teacher salaries, and Governor Doug Doucey recently proposing the expansion of all-day kindergarten programs in low income areas.