Nevada's illegal cannabis market remains resilient as dispensaries lower costs to appeal to customers on and off The Strip, according to policy experts and state data. The State of Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board released the taxable sales data for 2025, reporting nearly $758 million from the regulated industry, down 8.6% from last year.
"Our analysis of the sales, unequivocally shows that people were not buying less, the prices were just going down," Riana Durrett, executive director of the UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute, said. "And that is natural, and that's expected to happen."
The cannabis industry experienced a revenue high around 2021 when it totaled nearly a billion amid growing interest in the commodity. Durrett provided a reaction to the compliance board data and provided a few possible answers as to why Nevada's industry has slowed, and pointed out that it follows with national trends.
"Another thing is that the illegal market is still very resilient," she said. "It's very strong in Nevada. It's very strong in other states that have legalized. We far underestimated people's interest in the opportunity to purchase legally."
Read more at 8 News Now
