California's Cannabis Tax Revenues Top $1 Billion

The cannabis market in California has generated more than $1 billion in revenue for the state since January 2018, when adults were first able to legally buy pot there for recreational use. Prior to full legalization, the California Legislative Analyst's Office, which is tasked with advising the legislature on policy and fiscal issues, estimated that at its peak, the cannabis industry could generate $1 billion in tax revenues annually in the state.

For comparison, Colorado hit a total of $1 billion in tax revenue from pot sales only last year, after legal cannabis had been available for more than five years.

California's strong results come despite the fact that pot sales by illicit dealers still account for approximately 75% of the total in the state. And there's concern that the growth in the legal market is stalling. In the fourth quarter of 2019, legal pot sales increased by just 1.5% from the prior quarter. That was the smallest quarterly growth rate since pot sales began -- revenue has typically grown by more than 15%.

Source Fool.com