How Medical Cannabis Impacts Us:
$1.35: Typical rent per square foot of a mainstream L.A. storefront in 2010.
COMPARED TO
$3: Typical rent per square foot for an L.A. medical cannabis dispensary in 2010.
$105 million: Estimated annual sales-tax revenue in California from medical marijuana transactions.
COMPARED TO
$839 million: Estimated sales tax revenue generated by tobacco in California in 2010.
$10 million: Anticipated annual Measure M “Pot Tax” revenue for Los Angeles.
COMPARED TO
$150 million: Anticipated annual Prop. 10 “cigarette tax” revenue for Los Angeles in 1999 (when Prop. 10 passed).
$8 million: Anticipated annual marijuana tax revenue for Palm Springs.
COMPARED TO
$3.9 million: Amount of motor vehicle license fees in Palm Springs as adopted in the 2011/12 budget.
90: Percentage of hydroponics industry growth attributed to medical marijuana.
COMPARED TO
4.6: Percentage of distilled spirits industry growth in 2008 in the U.S.
12,000: Estimated number of cannabis dispensary jobs in California.
COMPARED TO
15,000: The number of large law firms that went out of business nationwide since 2008.
20,000: Estimated number of cannabis-production-related jobs in California.
COMPARED TO
16,919: Estimated mass layoffs in California in February.
$15 to $20: Average hourly pay for a dispensary worker in California.
COMPARED TO
$37.16: Average hourly wage for police and sheriff’s patrol officers in California in 2010.
64,000: Estimated number of workers in ancillary businesses due to medical marijuana.
COMPARED TO
56,700: Number of workers in the apparel industry in Los Angeles in 2007.
96,000: Estimated total number of jobs created by the medical cannabis industry.
COMPARED TO
87,000: Number of workers in the manufacturing industry in the Inland Empire in 2007.
$40 billion: Estimated size of the marijuana industry nationwide.
COMPARED TO
$40 billion: The amount the federal government spends annually on primary and secondary education.
$16 billion-$20 billion: Estimated potential federal tax revenue should marijuana be legalized nationwide.
COMPARED TO
$16 billion: Estimated revenue from mobile gaming for 2016.
Sources: Aaron Smith, executive director, National Cannabis Industry Association; Greta Carter, 280e Reform Team, Colorado; Dan Rush, director of United Food and Commercial Workers’ National Medical Cannabis Division; Matthew Witemyre, co-chair of the Citizens Coalition for Patient Care, San Jose; Kris Hermes, spokesman, Americans for Safe Access; Morgan Fox, spokesman, Marijuana Policy Project; Secretary of State office, Liquor Control Board, Department of Revenue, Department of Early Learning, Office of Financial Management, Washington State Wine Commission, National Center for Education Statistics, ABI Research, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, City of Palm Springs, Los Angeles Times and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
