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California City News: California’s Cannabis Market is In Serious Trouble. Experts Say Policy Failures Are to Blame.
- Laura Braden
- Jun 30
- 1 min read
EXCERPT:
Seven years ago, cannabis looked like the crop of the future, poised to bring a “green rush” to state and local coffers. Today, it is withering, with the black market far eclipsing the legal one.
This wasn’t inevitable. Experts blame poor planning and bad policy—namely the high taxes, fees, and regulations imposed on legal marijuana in this state.
California Cannabis Operators Association Executive Director Amy O’Gorman Jenkins recently spoke with Capitol Weekly Podcast about the situation, which she calls an outright “crisis.” She said the legal market could lose 10% of its consumer base after July 1, leading to a combined $13 million loss in excise and sales tax revenue. Jenkins has pushed relentlessly for relief. But with a $12 billion shortfall to close and enormous uncertainty out of Washington, cannabis just wasn’t a top priority for lawmakers this year.
Initial hopes of a thriving cannabis economy have been crushed, and California’s market is now buckling under the weight of excessive taxation and regulatory burdens. Whatever happens next, we’ll own it.
