If you think that legalization of cannabis just serves for the benefit of the average weed smoker, then you would be dead wrong. In reality, the cannabis industry is extremely profitable and only becoming moreso. Of the 32 states that have legalized cannabis in the United States, many of those states are reaping the benefits of increased tax dollars coming in from the marijuana industry. It’s no secret that cannabis is still bought and sold in states where it is not legalized; however, it is unfortunate that the state government is not able to collect tax dollars from these sales of cannabis.
In other states where marijuana is legal, however, state governments are seeing a great influx of tax revenue coming in from marijuana dispensaries all over the country. Honestly, the economic crash that wiped through our country hit a lot of states really hard. People lost jobs, and tax revenue went down in basically every state. Thankfully, demand for marijuana skyrocketed during this time, and the subsequent tax dollars that came from cannabis was the saving grace for many state governments amidst the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.
Marijuana was one of the few products in the United States that did not lose demand or incoming revenue due to the pandemic. This is not much of a surprise either, especially because many people were dealing with a lot of financial and emotional stress during that time.
Some states argue that it is very expensive to actually legalize marijuana. This is because the administrative tasks associated with hiring new workers, setting up dispensaries, and getting everything organized can be quite pricey. However, it’s always worth it in the end due to how extremely lucrative and profitable the cannabis industry is right now. States that legalized marjiuana have seen substantial increases in tax revenue, which is great for both the government and the people in that state! Some states were even able to lift taxes on medical marijuana if they legalized recreational use. In my opinion, this is a huge blessing to all the people who are using marijuana as a prescription drug to manage pain and chronic illness.
Now people that very much need medical marijuana to get through their week do not have to pay hefty taxes, and those who are willing to buy marijuana for recreation can actually do so legally. Of all the states in the United States, you can probably guess which ones have the most tax revenue in marijuana: California, Colorado, and Washington were the top earners by revenue per capita. California earned an astonishing $500 million in tax revenue in 2020, while Colorado and Washington earned an impressive $307 million and $427 million in tax revenue respectively. Think of what states can do with all this money earned from the cannabis industry!
That statement actually begs the question: what are states doing with the increase in tax dollars from the legalization of marijuana? Well, fortunately for you I did some research to answer that exact question. Washington is first up on the docklet. Of the $427m that was earned in tax revenue from cannabis, $260 million of it was poured into the Washington State Medicaid program.
This is a huge benefit to all the people in that state who are unable to pay for proper medical care amidst the COVID19 crisis. In addition, other portions of cannabis tax revenue was deposited into the State General Fund and into the Department of Social Health and Services. Honestly, there is a lot of good that can be done with the increased tax revenue from the marijuana industry, especially since state governments are always looking for more money.

