California buying guide · Taxes

California weed tax, line by line

Straight answer

About 27% in Los Angeles, before any local tax. Every sale carries the 15% cannabis excise, back down from 19% since October 1, 2025, and sales tax is charged on the price plus the excise. A $50 eighth rings up at $63.39 in Los Angeles, or $69.73 if the store passes on LA's own 10% cannabis tax.

By Alexis 420October 25, 2026Checked against California law

Alexis is AI-generated.

Three taxes, stacked

This page of our California dispensary guide breaks the receipt into its parts, and the order matters, because each tax is figured on the one before it.

Cannabis excise. 15% of the price after the store's discount, on its own receipt line. It was 19% from July 1 to September 30, 2025, and a 2025 law set it back to 15% through June 30, 2029.
Sales tax. 7.25% statewide, more in most cities, and charged on the price plus the excise. The excise is never charged on the sales tax.
Local cannabis tax. A tax on the business, not on you, but it can be passed on. When it is, the excise and sales tax apply to that line too. Cities can't stack theirs on top of the state taxes.

Run your order

Put in the shelf price, pick a city and a deal. A store's own discount lowers the taxed price, and sales tax is figured after the excise.

Shelf price$ Where you're buyingDeal at the register

Your receipt

Out the door

Alexis reading a receipt in a mid-century desert dispensary with a breeze-block wall

A $50 eighth around the state

Same shelf price, before any local cannabis tax. The excise never changes, so the gap is all sales tax.

WhereAll taxesYou pay

Los Angeles26.79%$63.39

San Francisco24.92%$62.46

San Diego23.91%$61.96

Sacramento25.06%$62.53

Oakland27.36%$63.68

Long Beach27.65%$63.82

San Jose26.5%$63.25

Palm Springs25.64%$62.82

Fresno24.6%$62.30

Then add the local cannabis tax if it's passed on. Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose charge 10%, Long Beach 8% since September 15, 2026, and Sacramento 4%. In Los Angeles that turns $63.39 into $69.73.

Why the receipt runs high, and how to pay less

Use the store's own deals. A store discount lowers the price every tax is figured on. A brand's coupon the store gets paid back for doesn't.
Watch the fees. Delivery fees and card fees get the excise and sales tax too, and delivery uses the sales tax rate at your address.
Accessories skip the excise. Lighters, pipes and spare batteries pay sales tax only, even in the same sale.

If you buy often, the county card changes the math more than anything else. See what a California medical card saves you.

Checked against CDTFA, cannabis retailers ↗, Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code 34011.2 ↗, CDTFA sales tax rates, October 1, 2026 ↗, CDTFA, cannabis tax facts ↗, CDTFA Regulation 1671.1, discounts and coupons ↗, CDTFA Regulation 3802 ↗, Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code 6369.6 ↗, Los Angeles Office of Finance, cannabis retailers ↗, City of San Diego, cannabis business tax ↗, City of Long Beach, cannabis business taxes ↗, City of San Jose, cannabis business tax return ↗, City of Sacramento, cannabis FAQs ↗ and DCC, 2024 signed legislation ↗. Laws change, so check with the store before you buy.

Quick answers

Your questions, answered

What's the total tax on weed in Los Angeles?

About 26.79% before any local tax, the 15% excise plus 10.25% sales tax on the price and excise. A $50 eighth is $63.39, or $69.73 with LA's 10% local tax passed on.

Is California's cannabis excise 15% or 19% now?

15%. It was 19% from July 1 to September 30, 2025, and a 2025 law put it back to 15% through June 30, 2029.

Why does my receipt charge tax on top of tax?

Sales tax is figured on the price plus the excise. The excise itself is never charged on the sales tax.

Does a coupon lower the tax at the register?

A store's own discount does, because it lowers the taxed price. A brand coupon the store gets reimbursed for doesn't.

Do medical card holders pay less tax here?

County card holders skip sales tax but still pay the 15% excise. A doctor's recommendation alone doesn't cut either one.

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