Nevada
Sales tax from marijuana sales contributed more than $35.9 million in revenue from July 1st to January 31st, 2018 to the state. That number has increased to $68.8 million for the entire 2018 fiscal year.
Nevada added 7,573 new cannabis jobs in 2018. That’s a 181 percent increase over the previous year’s figures.
The number of recreational licenses held by cannabis companies in Nevada nearly doubled at the end of 2018 from 65 to 126 when the state handed out 61 additional licenses.
In its first fiscal year, the Nevada cannabis market took in a total $529.9 million in sales. In the first quarter of the 2019 fiscal year, Nevada’s second for the cannabis market, cannabis sales of $146.7 million were reported. If these trends continue, 2019 will exceed the 2018 fiscal year by $50 to $100 million at the minimum.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles offers a Social Equity Program in order to provide expedited cannabis-related licenses for applicants living in areas that were disproportionately impacted by the criminalization of cannabis-related activities. The program just received multi-year funding to provide assistance to Social Equity Program applicants, as well.
Self-reported marijuana usage in LA county increased by roughly 3.1% from 8.5% in 2011 to 11.6% in 2015 after cannabis legalization passed.
Studies of Los Angeles crime statistics show that closing dispensaries doesn’t have any negative impact on crime, and that contrary to this, dispensaries actually reduce and prevent larceny and theft in a ⅓ mile radius around a dispensary.
Cannabis arrests in California are still disproportionately affecting people of color when comparing the number of residents versus the number of arrests made.
Texas
There are more than 2 dozen different propositions, laws, and regulations related to cannabis that are currently being proposed by different Texas state representatives, senators and legislators.
Currently, the only medically legal cannabis product in the state of Texas is a special form of cannabidiol oil that cannot exceed .5% THC or contain any less than 10% CBD. It is only provided to specific medical patients with intractable epilepsy.
The Texas Compassionate Use Act was only enacted in 2015, and is the only regulatory mandate for cannabis products in the state.
Harris County DA, Kim Ogg, created a misdemeanor marijuana diversion program that provides citizens caught with four ounces or less of cannabis with the option to take a 4 hour class in lieu of a harsher punishment.
Arizona
Arizona achieved the fourth largest gain in cannabis-related jobs with a total addition of 5,120 jobs added in 2018.
Arizona legalized medicinal marijuana in 2010 when the state passed the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (Proposition 203). Citizens failed to pass Proposition 205 in 2016, which would have legalized recreational cannabis for people 21 and over.
Thanks to an active and unified community of dispensary owners in Arizona, a new measure that is similar to Proposition 205 will be on the ballot in 2020. If passed, cannabis would be legalized for recreational sale and use in Arizona state.
The Arizona Department of Health Services determines what qualifies as a medical condition that can be treated with cannabis. The Arizona DHS is currently accepting petitions to add to the list of currently accepted debilitating medical conditions for the Medical Marijuana Program.
2018 medical marijuana sales in Arizona increased by 41% over 2017 sales. The number of medical marijuana patients in Arizona increased by 20% from 2017 to 2018.
Illinois
Though marijuana is only medically legal in Illinois, recreational legalization is supported by the current mayor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, who received an “A” on NORML’s politician scorecard.
In 2016, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed a marijuana decriminalization measure into law, making possession a fineable offense only. The law, known as SB 2228, was favored by 63% of Illinois citizens when it was passed.
Cannabis sales in Illinois rose from $8.5 million in January 2018, to $13.8 million in December of 2018 with a yearly total of $133 million in sales. That’s a 62.35 percent increase in monthly sales over the course of a single year!
National
Currently, there are 33 states and the District of Columbia where marijuana has been legalized either medically or recreationally. Only 10 states have fully legalized marijuana.
Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. The 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 22.2 million US respondents had used it in a single month.
The road to marijuana legalization in the United States began in earnest in 1996, with the passing of California’s Proposition 215, a measure that legalized medical marijuana throughout the state.