November 16, 2016
"California’s recreational cannabis industry could eventually generate between $4.5 billion and $5 billion in annual retail sales, making it by far the most attractive market for business opportunities of the states that legalized last week, according to estimates released Wednesday.
Marijuana Business Daily’s editorial director, Chris Walsh, revealed the projection during his speech at the Marijuana Business Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.
“It’s clear – California is going to reclaim its mantle as the capital (of the cannabis trade),” Walsh said during his keynote address at the conference Wednesday morning.
He also offered up estimates for the other seven states that passed cannabis measures on Election Day.
Marijuana Business Daily previously announced that all new markets the election paved the way for could post a combined $7 billion-$8 billion in retail sales down the road, but the publication hadn’t released a breakdown until today.
The California estimates offer a look at just how big the state’s marijuana industry could become once the market hits its stride. If the estimates hold true, California’s recreational marijuana shops would bring in more than the entire industry is expected to generate in retail sales this year."