Cannabis continued its slump at $12.2 million in total value in 2024, less than half of 2023's $25.7 million. Cultivated acreage barely shrank, with about 13.5 acres countywide similar to 2023, but low prices and a market glut dragged the crop's value down. Cannabis figures are reported as an addendum to the main crop report.
Cannabis cultivation in Sonoma County continues to struggle. The 2024 crop report's cannabis addendum paints a sobering picture: only $12.2 million in total value for the county's legal cannabis crop. That's less than half of what it was worth just the year before. What happened? In short, a market glut and falling prices. The licensed cultivation footprint didn't change much – about 13.5 acres of cannabis canopy, outdoor, indoor and mixed-light combined, across unincorporated areas. But the price per pound farmers could fetch crashed amid statewide oversupply and competition. Sonoma's cannabis farmers, once hopeful for a green rush, are now grappling with a bear market for buds. Local officials have already slashed cannabis business taxes to try to help, but the cash cow turned out to be a fizzle. The crop report's numbers underscore that reality, and they may spur more discussion on how – or whether – the county can prop up this faltering industry.
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