California has collected nearly $8.4 billion in tax money from legal marijuana sales since voters approved adult-use cannabis in 2016, Governor Gavin Newsom announced this week. A big portion of that money comes from special cannabis taxes, while the rest comes from standard state sales taxes. Between April and June alone, the state pulled in over $261 million. Newsom … [Read more...] about California Rolling in Green: State Collects $8.4 Billion in Weed Taxes
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California Enacts Stricter Rules on Youth-Targeted Cannabis Packaging
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 2249 into law, establishing clearer and enforceable definitions to stop cannabis products from being packaged or marketed in ways that appeal to minors. Authored by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D), the measure passed with overwhelming bipartisan support—clearing the Assembly 69–1 and the Senate 38–0—before receiving … [Read more...] about California Enacts Stricter Rules on Youth-Targeted Cannabis Packaging
California’s “Complete Failure”—Time to Tear It Down
When California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 64, it was hailed as a historic milestone for cannabis reform. The initiative promised to create a thriving legal market, generate massive tax revenue for public services, and dismantle the illicit drug trade once and for all. Instead, the whole situation has degenerated into a complete pile of hot garbage. That … [Read more...] about California’s “Complete Failure”—Time to Tear It Down
California Tells Tribes: Get a License or Stay Out
California's legal cannabis market may be one of the largest in the world, but Native American tribes are still finding themselves on the outside looking in.A new legal opinion from California Attorney General Rob Bonta concludes that federally recognized tribes cannot conduct cannabis business with state-licensed marijuana companies unless they first obtain their own … [Read more...] about California Tells Tribes: Get a License or Stay Out
The OG Might Get Kushed
California’s legal cannabis industry, once seen as a model for other states, is facing serious challenges. Industry observers say high taxes, strict rules, and uneven local policies are making it hard for licensed businesses to succeed.One major concern is cost. Legal operators must pay taxes, fees, and testing expenses that increase prices for consumers. At the same time, … [Read more...] about The OG Might Get Kushed
California Spends Millions Figuring Out What “Real” Weed Should Taste Like
California is taking its role as a cannabis pioneer very seriously — so seriously that the state is spending millions to figure out something most stoners take for granted: what counts as a legitimate cannabis flavor.Since legalization, California has invested heavily in research to understand not just the plant itself, but the broader social, economic, and health effects of … [Read more...] about California Spends Millions Figuring Out What “Real” Weed Should Taste Like
How One L.A. Dispensary Is Redefining the Cannabis Narrative
Los Angeles has never been short on weed or attitude. From garage-grown legends to glossy dispensaries lining the boulevards, cannabis here has always mirrored the city itself: loud, layered, and relentlessly competitive. In that noise, standing out takes more than neon signs and celebrity strains. It takes memory. It takes soul.Tucked into El Sereno, The Chronic isn’t … [Read more...] about How One L.A. Dispensary Is Redefining the Cannabis Narrative
Smoke Signals: California’s Big Pivot to Preserve Its Legal Cannabis Industry
In a rare display of political unity, California lawmakers have chosen to roll back a steep tax hike on legal cannabis sales, delivering a lifeline to an industry that has been struggling under the weight of declining demand and fierce competition from illicit sellers. As of October 1, 2025, the state excise tax on legal cannabis is being rolled back from 19 percent to 15 … [Read more...] about Smoke Signals: California’s Big Pivot to Preserve Its Legal Cannabis Industry
California’s Cannabis Circus Gets a New Ringmaster
Late on the eve of Thanksgiving, California Governor Gavin Newsom quietly announced the appointment of Clint Kellum as the new director of the California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC). For those following the state’s cannabis industry, the timing was telling: the announcement arrived when public attention was likely elsewhere, underlining the administration’s … [Read more...] about California’s Cannabis Circus Gets a New Ringmaster
California’s Cannabis Revolution… or Is It a Reckoning?
When the green rush turned into a takeover: the story of small farms left behind by legalization. In the golden haze of the California dream—where sunbeams bathe the hills and the legendary cannabis culture thrives—the promise of legal adult-use weed once glowed bright. But beneath that shimmer lies a harsher truth: for many of the small farmers who built the legacy, … [Read more...] about California’s Cannabis Revolution… or Is It a Reckoning?
