California Localities Primed for Legal Recreational Cannabis Use

  • Los Angeles, San Francisco and Alameda tops in medical sales
  • Taxes from recreational pot seen hitting $1 billion annually
Photographer: David McNew/Getty Images
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Twenty years after approving medical marijuana, Californians come 2018 will be able to consume it for recreational purposes, too, and the localities that have reaped the most from legal cannabis sales may be best positioned for what could be a billion-dollar windfall.

Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Alameda counties collected the most in sales taxes from medical marijuana dispensaries last year, according to the state Board of Equalization. The tally doesn’t include business taxes that cities assess.