Nothing would make me happier than to learn the weed business is in trouble due to a lack of interest. But that’s clearly not the case. The reason the weed business is faltering is solely due to the state’s insanely burdensome tax and regulatory policies.

To legally sell marijuana in California, you have to obtain a state business license. So, by this time, after voters legalized weed in 2016, the state expected (and counted on for the tax revenue) at least 6,000 licensed cannabis shops to be up, running, licensed, and pouring revenue into the state’s greedy tax coffers.

But instead of 6,000, there are only 1,086 licensed stores. Which is a miss of over 80 percent, and the taxes and regulatory state are to blame.