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 California's excise tax revenue from July to September was about $177 million dollars. That's the most in four years. It came from a temporary excise tax hike during the same period.

That revenue for the cannabis excise tax was 20% higher in the third quarter than in the second quarter of 2025, said Steve Bunnell, a spokesperson for the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. "And we can say without a doubt that that was due to the increase in the excise tax rate from 15% to 19%."

That excise tax, added on top of the retail price, meant customers paid more per purchase and the state collected more.

But that rate was short-lived. It dropped back to 15% in October, after lawmakers tried to make legal cannabis competitive against untaxed illegal sellers.

This quarter’s higher cannabis excise tax meant about 4 additional dollars tacked on to a $100 purchase in Sonoma County.

According to the state's cannabis taxing agency, Sonoma County ranks among California’s top cannabis buyers per person. with an average of $57 per consumer per quarter...so about $15 a  month.

More information on how the county ranks in cannabis sales can be found on the open data portal at cdtfa.ca.gov.