For the Culture By The Culture
California just raised taxes on legal cannabis by 26%, threatening to wipe out the small businesses and legacy growers who built the market. This feature breaks down how the policy is pushing operators out, fueling the illicit trade, and revealing the hypocrisy of a state that once championed cannabis culture but now treats it like a cash cow. This is economic betrayal in real time.
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.
Congressman Dave Joyce wants credit for fixing weed. But his new legislation might just carve up the movement and hand it to corporate stakeholders. Behind the clean language is a blueprint for state-by-state chaos, not freedom. If this is legalization, it’s legalization without justice—and the people who built the culture are still waiting outside the gates.
Increasing tariffs and trade policies are driving up prices for cannabis accessories, impacting consumers who face strategic price hikes disguised as inflation. Major corporations pass these costs to customers while small producers struggle. The industry’s silence on these issues highlights economic manipulation, urging consumers to support local brands and demand transparency.
Cannabis culture is at a turning point. This month's cover reflects the tension—progress on one side, resistance on the other. As legalization faces a new wave of scrutiny and misinformation, the future isn’t guaranteed. It’s being shaped now, by the people paying attention.
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.
