FACT BRIEFDoes Nevada have the highest cannabis tax rate in the West?
No.
Other states, including Washington and Colorado, have higher cannabis tax rates than Nevada and are bringing in more revenue per capita, according to a 2025 report by the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities.
Nevada has a tax rate of 10% on recreational marijuana retail sales, which is lower than the other western states the report looked at. The highest is Washington’s retail tax rate of 37%.
Nevada and Colorado are the only two western states with a wholesale cannabis tax, with both states’ rate set at 15%.
In 2023, Nevada’s cannabis tax revenue was fourth highest among the western states at $41.67 per capita. That year, the cannabis taxes brought in about $133 million in total revenue.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
The Nevada Independent partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
Sources
- Guinn Center for Policy Priorities Cannabis Taxes in Nevada: An Explainer
It’s up to all of us to spread the truth.
Nevada lawmakers will be in session until June, and the fate of the bills they are debating will hinge in large part on the quality of the facts they’re working with.
Do free school lunches increase food waste? Do red flag laws reduce suicide rates? Does universal pre-K boost the economy?
We want to bring independent, rigorous fact checks to inform the public and policymakers on these crucial questions. We’re doing it through briefs that clearly answer a question with a yes or no in 150 words or less.
The Nevada Independent is always on the lookout for claims that could use a fact check. But we could use your eyes and ears too. If you're on social media or consuming news and come across a statement that raises questions for you — let us know.
In the meantime, if you think this work is important, please show your support by making a donation of any amount today. Your contributions help us devote more reporters and editors to finding and checking claims, ensuring that Nevadans have the best information possible during this important time in our state’s history.