California Cannabis Sales Bring in $255.1 Million in Tax Revenue for Fourth Quarter 2025

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Cannabis retailers sent $255.1 million in tax revenue to the State of California in the fourth quarter of 2025. Since January 2018, California cannabis sales have generated more than $7.87 billion in tax revenue. The cannabis excise tax, which accounts for more than half the revenue from retailers' quarterly returns, supports programs for childcare and early childhood development, medical research, youth substance abuse prevention, environmental recovery, and more.

Sacramento – The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) today reported tax revenue from cannabis sales for the fourth quarter of 2025. As of February 18, total tax revenue from cannabis retailers' fourth-quarter returns is $255.1 million. This figure includes $145.5 million in cannabis excise tax and $109.6 million in sales tax reported from cannabis businesses. These figures do not include outstanding returns or returns that are still being processed.

Reported revenue for third-quarter 2025 returns has been revised to $285.5 million, up from $283.7 million. This includes $177.7 million in cannabis excise tax and $107.7 million in sales tax. These revisions are a result of amended and late returns, as well as other tax return adjustments.

During the third quarter (July – September 2025), the cannabis excise tax rate temporarily increased to 19 percent. The rate returned to 15 percent on October 1, 2025, following Governor Newsom's signing of AB 564.

The figures also reflect the final installment of the state's vendor compensation program, which allowed eligible cannabis vendors to retain more than $1.63 million in the fourth quarter. The program allowed retailers who have received an equity fee waiver from the Department of Cannabis Control to retain 20 percent of the cannabis excise tax due on their retail sales of cannabis or cannabis products for 12 months. The program, which began January 1, 2023, ended December 31, 2025.

Since January 2018, cannabis sales have generated more than $7.87 billion in tax revenue, including more than $4.19 billion in cannabis excise tax and more than $3.17 billion in sales tax. This also includes $500.6 million in cultivation tax collected through July 1, 2022, when the cultivation tax was eliminated.

Retailers must collect the cannabis excise tax from buyers based on gross receipts from sales of cannabis or cannabis products. Sales tax is applied to the price after the cannabis excise tax has been added.

Additional cannabis tax revenue data is available on the CDTFA Open Data Portal. To learn more about cannabis taxes in general, visit the Tax Guide for Cannabis Businesses on the CDTFA website.

The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) administers California's sales and use, fuel, tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis taxes, as well as other taxes and fees that fund specific state programs. CDTFA-administered programs accounted for more than $97.8 billion last fiscal year, supporting essential local services such as transportation, public safety and health, libraries, schools, social services, and natural resource management programs through the distribution of tax dollars going directly to local communities.