Urgent Action Needed: Tell Your Senator to Stop the Cannabis Excise Tax Hike TODAY

Laura Braden
6 days ago
2 min read

Without immediate action by the California State Senate, the cannabis excise tax will automatically increase over 25% (from 15% to 19%) on July 1—a price hike for consumers that could be catastrophic for California’s regulated cannabis market.

We urgently need your voice today to stop it.

Call (see below) and/or email your State Senator TODAY
Tell them to include the cannabis tax freeze in the budget trailer bill
Urge them to speak with their Senate colleagues

This is a tax on consumers and patients. People who rely on cannabis for therapeutic or medicinal reasons (many of whom are low-income) will now pay more. This will force many to turn to untested, unregulated, and unsafe products from the illicit market.
It’s a death sentence for legal cannabis. California’s legal market is already struggling. This tax increase will 1) accelerate the closure of licensed businesses, 2) push consumers toward the illicit market, and 3) destroy the tax base that funds local programs and public health initiatives.
Legal cannabis is already overtaxed. Combined cannabis taxes and fees in California are approaching 78% of wholesale value, far exceeding taxes on other regulated substances, such as alcohol: 8.4% and tobacco: 29.5%.
Freezing the tax is not a windfall for operators; it’s consumer protection. And a lifeline for small businesses, local governments, and public safety.
This will reduce local tax revenue for cities and counties that reinvest cannabis taxes in public services.

The solution: The Assembly and the Governor’s Office support a tax freeze. Now, the Senate must act immediately to prevent the increase. If the Senate includes the freeze in the budget, the hike never takes effect.

SAMPLE CALL SCRIPT (FIND YOUR SENATOR HERE):

Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent in Senator [Last Name’s] district. I’m urging him to support the inclusion of the cannabis excise tax freeze in a budget trailer bill.

Without immediate action, the tax will rise from 15% to 19% on July 1—a 25%+ hike that will devastate patients, consumers, and cannabis businesses. Please act now to protect California’s legal cannabis market. Thank you.