KPBS Midday Edition

A Look Back At The First Year Of Legal Marijuana Sales In California

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Marissa Cabrera / News Producer, KPBS Midday Edition

Published January 15, 2019 at 8:25 AM PST

This story was published more than 5 years ago.

Inside Urbn Leaf a consultant explains the options to customers, January 1, 2018.

A Look Back At The First Year Of Legal Marijuana Sales In California

GUEST: Jesse Marx, associate editor, Voice of San Diego Subscribe to the Midday Edition podcast on iTunes, Google Play or your favorite podcatcher.

One year after the start of the legal sale of recreational cannabis in California, San Diego County’s legal marijuana industry is small but growing.

This month, the cities of Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Vista will begin accepting applications for marijuana businesses.

In the city of San Diego, the number of permitted dispensaries grew to 19 in 2018 and the local supply chain started to take shape. Altogether, marijuana businesses brought in an estimated $6 million dollars in taxes and fees in 2018, according to a city spokesperson.

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But a lot of challenges remain, from the all-cash side of the business to an enduring black market.

This week, we’ll look back at the lessons learned from the first year of the legal sale of recreational marijuana in California.

Jesse Marx, associate editor at Voice of San Diego, joins Midday Edition to discuss legalization's first year and what to expect in the year ahead.

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KPBS Midday Edition Cannabis

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Marissa Cabrera

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Marissa Cabrera worked as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and had previously served as a Newscast Producer for KPBS' Morning Edition. Before joining KPBS she reported on Vatican affairs, social, and cultural issues in Rome, Italy. She also contributed to a documentary on sex abuse in the Catholic Church. Marissa has worked as a multimedia journalist at various news stations in San Diego and Monterey as well as Columbia, Missouri. Marissa graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.

See stories by Marissa Cabrera