BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — Green Check (GC), a leading fintech platform powering compliant cannabis banking, payments, and lending solutions, released new 4/20 transaction data insights for 2026 pointing to a cannabis retail market that is becoming more predictable, retention-driven, and operationally disciplined.
Across its network, Green Check reported a 120-percent increase in sales compared to an average same day of the week and a 19-percent year-over-year gain in sales per cannabis-related business. Growth was driven by transaction volume rather than basket size, with average and median order values declining while total transactions increased compared to 2025.
“This is a market that’s starting to normalize,” said Mike Kennedy, Green Check’s chief strategy officer. “Repeat customers are driving performance, operators are holding margins despite aggressive discounting, and purchasing behavior is becoming more structured. Those are the signals of a category moving toward stability.”
Additional findings from the data include:
- 4/20 as a retention-led event: Returning customers outpaced new customers by 53 percent, a notable increase over 2025 metrics.
- Cash is still king: While cash remains the main method of payment on 4/20 (67 percent of transactions), year-over-year usage declined modestly by 1 percent. Debit payments followed at 21 percent of transactions.
- Revenue concentration remains high: The top 10 percent of cannabis dispensaries accounted for nearly 40 percent of total 4/20 sales across the GC ecosystem, reinforcing a widening gap among operators.
- Product mix is shifting: Compared to 2025, edibles revenue rose 54 percent, outpacing flower growth at 40 percent year over year, signaling increased demand for formats that support repeat purchasing and consistency.
- More promotions: 85 percent of transactions were discounted, up from 80 percent in 2025. Despite this, margins remained largely intact, declining just 0.8 percentage points.
- Improving compliance rates: Operational metrics continue to trend toward stability, with compliance rates up to 96.2 percent of transactions being fully verified, up from 94.6 percent last year.
“Taken together, our data points to a cannabis retail market that is becoming more measurable and repeatable, with clearer signals for operators and financial institutions evaluating long-term participation,” said Kennedy. “We’re committed to helping the industry continue to grow and operate compliantly, connecting cannabis-related businesses with the right financial partners to make that a reality.”
