Economics

Legal Marijuana Is Fastest Growing Industry in the U.S.

Published

11 years ago

February 12, 2015

The U.S. market for legal cannabis grew 74% percent in 2014 to $2.7 billion, up from $1.5 billion in 2013 making it the fastest growing industry in the country, according to a report issued by ArcView Market Research.

The report also shows that if trends continues and all states legalized marijuana, the total market size would top $36.8 billion, making it larger than the organic food industry which is $33.1 billion, according to Nutrition Business Journal.

The main driver of projected growth over the next five years will be the passage of more state laws allowing regulated cannabis sales, according to the report, which predicts that 14 more states will legalize adult use, and two more states will legalize medical use over the next 5 years.

These new markets plus maturation of the existing markets will create a $10.8 billion annual market potential by 2019.

California is still the largest legal cannabis market in the country at $1.3 billion, according to the report.

Further, more than 1.5 million consumers purchased cannabis legally from a retail medical or Adult-use store in 2014.

Looking at emerging trends, the report says that cannabis concentrates and various infused products are quickly gaining market share at the expense of the traditional cannabis flower market and that national brands are beginning to emerge and spread to various states.

The executive summary of the report is downloadable for free at legalmarijuanamarkets.com

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California Launches Study on Mileage Tax to Potentially Replace Gas Tax as Republicans Push Back

Under current law, California depends heavily on revenue from the gas tax to fund roads, highways, and infrastructure, but those revenues are projected to shrink as electric vehicle use grows and overall gasoline consumption drops. The mileage study would look at a “road charge” system where drivers pay based on how many miles they drive, rather than how much gas they buy.

Published

3 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City is the author of AB 1421. File photo.

By Tanu Henry, California Black Media

California lawmakers are moving forward with a study to explore a mileage-based tax as a potential replacement for the state’s traditional gas tax — a shift supporters say is driven by declining fuel tax revenues as more drivers switch to fuel-efficient and electric vehicles.

The research, tied to Assembly Bill (AB) 1421, would extend and support work by the state’s Road Usage Charge Technical Advisory Committee through 2035.

The bill does not yet enact a new tax. Instead, it extends the study and advisory work until 2035 and would have the Legislature receive findings and recommendations, with a report due by Jan. 1, 2027.

Republicans in the California Legislature have been vocal in their opposition. Assembly Republican Leader Heath Flora criticized the proposal.

“We already pay the highest gas taxes in the nation. Now Sacramento is talking about adding a new tax for every mile people drive,” Flora said. “Piling on another tax right now shows just how out of touch politicians in Sacramento are with the reality working families face.”

The plan has drawn broader GOP criticism from leaders outside the Legislature as well. California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton called a mileage fee “absolutely outrageous” and said, if elected, he would veto the tax, adding that tracking and charging drivers for every mile is unacceptable.

Supporters say the study is a pragmatic response to long-term funding challenges.

On the Assembly Floor on Jan. 29, Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D–Suisun City), the bill’s author, said that California’s transportation funding is “becoming less stable, less equitable, and less sustainable as more drivers switch to fuel-efficient and zero-emission vehicles.”

“Drivers using the same roads often pay different amounts for that use,” Wilson continued. “Low income and rural commuters who must drive farther and less efficient vehicles can pay more while others contribute less despite roadway impacts.”

Wilson and other supporters contend that a per-mile road charge could ensure that all drivers contribute fairly to the costs of maintaining roads, regardless of the type of vehicle they drive.