UP IN SMOKE: California Business Climate So Bad Even Jerry Garcia’s Marijuana Company Is Leaving

To escape the state’s crippling regulations, and high taxes under Gov. Gavin Newsom

They will not get by.

SIGNATURE Reports Garcia Hand Picked marijuana brand, which was launched in 2020 by Jerry Garcia’s family, is now leaving California to avoid crippling regulations and high taxes. Gavin Newsom (D., Calif.).

The brand’s departure comes as industry experts anticipate a “mass extinction event” It will force thousands of cannabis companies out of business in the Golden State.

Andrew DeAngelo, a cannabis consultant and former owner of Harborside, one of the state’s pioneering medical cannabis dispensaries, said the Garcia brand probably learned the same thing that all of California’s pot companies have realized: “You can’t make any money in this market.”

“Not only is Garcia leaving, a lot of people are leaving,” DeAngelo told SFGATE. “It’s a real shame that California is losing out. We’re losing out on jobs and economic activity and other places are benefiting from that.”

Garcia Hand Picked, like most celebrity brands, contracted out its cannabis growing and manufacturing to partner companies and then stamped Jerry Garcia’s face on the packaging. Although the company stated that they are currently looking for a cannabis supplier, they declined to interview for this story. They also did not provide any details about how long the brand would remain off-limits in California. Garcia Hand Picked can still be purchased in five states.

The report continues to describe the “huge economic hurdles” Since 2018, legalization of marijuana in the state has been a challenge. (Newsom was elected governor in 2019). California’s high cost of living has meant that many companies have had difficulty turning a profit under Newsom’s watch. “complicated cannabis regulations and high taxes,” Not to mention the out-of control real estate prices in the state. The legal marijuana market is also Having trouble It is difficult to compete with illegal growers who have violated the law and undercut the market. Instead of cracking down on illegal operations, the state government has allowed them to thrive by reducing penalties in the name racial equity.

Newsom, who in November announced that he would not challenge President Joe Biden to the Democratic nomination in 2024 for the Democratic nomination, will be running for president sometime in the future. If a politician is capable of feeling shame, he might reconsider his efforts to promote his record.