Ventura County collected more than $4.5 million from cannabis growers in the latest fiscal year, more than doubling the industry's local tax revenue from a year earlier.
Back in 2020, voters passed Measure O, which amended the county code to allow the cultivation and sale of cannabis in some unincorporated areas. The ordinance took effect the following January, and since then, records show that the number of applications and tax revenue has slowly increased.
"We were not sure what the demand was going to be for the program," said James Importante, a program management analyst with the county CEO's office.
In all, the county has issued five licenses. Glass House Camarillo, LLC, was the first in 2022 and is by far the largest, with roughly 96% of the local acreage. Of the other four, one operator never reported any sales and let its license expire, Importante said. An additional application is currently under review, he said.
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