For the Culture By The Culture
Legal cannabis has generated nearly $25 billion in tax revenue, with $4.4 billion collected in 2024 alone. States benefit significantly, funding various community programs. However, equity issues remain, as many who contributed to legalization are still marginalized. The promise of justice is overshadowed by bureaucracy and economic barriers for legacy growers.
While California brags about record-setting cannabis seizures, the legal market is bleeding out. This feature rips into the state’s failed enforcement-first strategy, exposing the hypocrisy of Governor Newsom’s war on “illegal” weed while licensed shops go under. Legacy growers are sidelined, consumers get shafted, and culture is burning
Colorado just lost $20 million in cannabis sales, and it’s not a fluke. From hemp loopholes to collapsing tourism, this feature investigates what’s really behind the budget cuts and how the cracks in Colorado’s cannabis economy could foreshadow a national unraveling. If the “gold standard” of legalization is struggling, what does that mean for everyone else?
The cannabis industry is expected to pump $123.6 billion into the U.S. economy in 2025. That’s not just growth—it’s a cultural reckoning. Built by the same community they tried to erase, this number doesn’t just shut down critics. It buries them.
Gold Flora’s implosion wasn’t a one-off—it was a warning. From ballooned budgets to influencer-backed ego trips, Big Weed’s collapse in California shows what happens when hype and hubris replace substance and sustainability. We break it all down and expose how the industry got too loud, too fast, and now can’t afford the silence.
As of 2025, cannabis policy is evolving globally, with notable developments in California, Germany, Thailand, and Morocco. California will introduce consumption lounges; Germany is legalizing cannabis, aiming to reduce the black market; Thailand has reversed legalization, and Morocco seeks to dominate cannabis exports. Consumers must stay informed and engaged amidst these changes.
