As of press time, a squall line approaches California from the west, promising about 2 inches of rain, the end of wildfire season and a halt to much of the outdoor harvest season in the country’s No. 1 source state for weed.
So, how did the 2025 growing season go? It went pretty great! Farmers from Humboldt to Grass Valley report an epic year — second only to the mythic 2024 run — with a decrease in wildfires and lower temperatures.
There are fewer legal farms, but they’re bigger. The price of pot continues to find its new normal after prohibition’s end. Additionally, more farmers are freezing their crops to recover lost profits. Here’s the 2025 Cannabis Harvest Report:
Production
• 1.43 million pounds: amount of legal weed grown per year in California (2024, DCC)
• 11.4 million pounds: estimated amount of illegal weed grown per year in California (2024, DCC)
• 4,805: active California cultivation licenses in 2025
• 5,491: active California cultivation licenses in 2024
• −12.5%: year-over-year change in California cultivation licenses
• 25%: rough estimates of how much of the harvest is fresh frozen instead of dried
Prices
• $300-$400: spot reports for the price of a high-quality wholesale outdoor pound in California
• $1,166: U.S. average price per pound, including all states’ indoor, outdoor and greenhouse
• $1,031: average value of a legal California wholesale pound (2024, DCC)
• $300: cost for a gram of Preferred mixed light Z live rosin (Downs, 2025)
Fires
• 520,180 acres: acreage burned by wildfire in 2025 (CAL FIRE)
• 1,050,012 acres: acreage burned by wildfire in 2024
• 2,569,386 acres: acreage burned by wildfire in 2021
• 22: days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Sacramento, California, 2025
• 45: days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Sacramento, California, 2024
Sales
• $1.238 billion: California legal Cannabis sales (April through June 2025; CDTFA)
• 2,319: number of dispensary and delivery licenses (March 2025; DCC)
• 51.7 million: legal vape carts purchased per year in California (DCC, 2024)
• 3.8 million pounds: amount of weed consumed per year in California (2024, DCC)
• ~38%: percentage of California consumption supplied by the licensed market (DCC, 2024)
