Inspired by the Cannabis Intelligence Briefing Series Report:
By the time it drew to a close, California’s first year of legal adult-use cannabis had matured into an industry behemoth.
They share plenty — western states with rugged mountains, lots of free spirits, a passion for craft brewing and loads of legal cannabis. But when it comes to marijuana, California and Colorado are not twins. California’s legal cannabis market is much larger (it’s the biggest in the world). And pot grows like a weed outdoors in much of the state; in high, dry Colorado outdoor cultivation is a tougher challenge.
A heavyweight battle. January-June, 2018. Two superstars itching to jump into the preverbal cannabis ring. But first, we need to size up our competitors.
California’s Race to the Pot of Green Gold
The path towards California’s cannabis pot of gold may be lined in green — moolah and ganja. But the legal commercial ferment could even be more effervescent - the pot of gold that much heavier - if not for regulations and taxes.
California was already the world’s largest cannabis market when it launched legal adult-use sales on January 1, 2018; and, the early indications are that expansion of sales in the state beyond medical-only will serve to lengthen that lead.
You love your Kosher Kush, a strong indica-strain developed in Los Angeles known for its earthy aroma and strong pain-killing and sleep effects. And while you don’t love the advertised price — $9.12 a gram, which is about 30 cents above the average per-gram price in California for all strains according to BDS Analytics (by comparison, by the end of 2017 the average price for a gram of flower in Colorado was $4.98) — you deal. At least you can stroll into your shop and walk away with your favorite strain.
With the turn of the new year, California’s cannabis market has undergone massive changes. As adult-use sales for cannabis begin, the industry is transitioning from following loose, unregulated practices to following a strict set of state regulatory demands set by the Bureau of Cannabis Control.
