It is no secret that public school districts across the country are underfunded in the United States. With that in mind, any dollar that can be generated outside of a state’s general education fund is obviously needed and welcomed, including in the State of Nevada.
Nevada voters approved adult-use cannabis legalization in 2016, and the first legal recreational cannabis sales launched in 2017. Since that time, Nevada’s emerging legal cannabis industry has sold a considerable amount of cannabis products and generated industry taxes and fees in the process, some of which go to Nevada schools.
“There are two excise taxes placed on the sale of recreational marijuana: a 15 percent wholesale tax, included in the original ballot question and primarily paid by marijuana businesses, and a 10 percent retail tax added by the Legislature in 2017 that is primarily paid by consumers.” explains The Nevada Independent.
“Today, all proceeds from the retail tax and the majority of proceeds from the wholesale tax (portions of which fund the Cannabis Compliance Board and local governments’ costs) are among the roughly 20 revenue sources that make up the state education fund, which funds Nevada’s public schools.” the outlet also stated in its original reporting.
A recent report published by the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities details how much revenue Nevada’s emerging legal cannabis industry has generated for the state’s public school system.
“More than eight years after the decriminalization of possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for those in Nevada aged 21 and over, misconceptions regarding the budgetary implications of cannabis taxation persist. Two excise taxes, differences in distribution, and associated statutory changes have resulted in some confusion among both policymakers and the public.” the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities wrote on its website.
“Since 2018, the two taxes exclusive to cannabis have provided nearly $716 million in K-12 funding, plus additional school funding through other sales taxes.” the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities also stated. “Among the nine western states collecting cannabis taxes, Nevada ranks fourth in per capita taxes collected.”
According to cannabis industry data company Headset, Nevada’s legal cannabis industry sold $48.5 million worth of cannabis products in June 2025, which is a “16.1% drop year-over-year.”
In addition to recreational cannabis sales, Nevada also permits medical cannabis sales, with the organization Nevada State Cannabis listing that as of March 2025, the most recent month for which data is available, there were 10,567 registered medical cannabis patients in Nevada.