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
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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?
California Governor Approves Legislation to Revert Recent Marijuana Tax Increase
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law Assembly Bill 564, a measure that temporarily halts a newly implemented tax increase on cannabis products. The law, authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D), will pause for five years the excise tax hike enacted earlier this year. Key Provisions of AB 564 Rationale and Responses Governor Newsom stated that the rollback … [Read more...] about California Governor Approves Legislation to Revert Recent Marijuana Tax Increase
Sacramento Approves Cannabis Consumption Lounges, Paving the Way for Social Use and the New Economic Growth
The Sacramento City Council has authorized the establishment of cannabis consumption lounges, marking a significant expansion of the city's cannabis industry. This decision aligns with a statewide initiative that permits local governments to approve cannabis cafes, where patrons can consume cannabis products in a social setting. The new policy allows dispensaries to apply … [Read more...] about Sacramento Approves Cannabis Consumption Lounges, Paving the Way for Social Use and the New Economic Growth
Federal Agents Raid California’s Largest Licensed Cannabis Farm Amid Crackdown on Illegal Cultivation
Although illegal marijuana grows proliferate nationwide, recent federal enforcement has zeroed in on California’s largest licensed cannabis cultivator. On July 10, authorities executed an unprecedented raid on two Glass House Farms sites northwest of Los Angeles. The operation, one of the most significant of its kind since January, involved both immigration and … [Read more...] about Federal Agents Raid California’s Largest Licensed Cannabis Farm Amid Crackdown on Illegal Cultivation
From Bud to Bust: Cannabis Club Owner Sentenced in Massive Fraud Scheme
A California woman has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for orchestrating a multimillion-dollar credit card fraud scheme that funded illegal marijuana operations in Oregon.Mariam Gevorkova, 37, of Glendale, California, received her sentence in February 2023 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to … [Read more...] about From Bud to Bust: Cannabis Club Owner Sentenced in Massive Fraud Scheme
