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Cannabis Tax Revenues In Woodlake Hit $800,000 And Counting

Kerry Klein
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Valley Public Radio
Marijuana plants grow at 7 Points, the first cultivator and second cannabis-related business to open in Woodlake.

In January 2018, the Tulare County City of Woodlake became home to the San Joaquin Valley’s first-ever recreational marijuana dispensary. Two other businesses, a large-scale cultivator and extract manufacturer, opened in 2019.

Credit Kerry Klein / Valley Public Radio
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Valley Public Radio
Woodlake Community Services Director Jason Waters stands in front of one of the city's four parks that were renovated thanks to tax revenues generated from local cannabis businesses.

As of early 2020, the city’s tax revenue generated by the industry topped $800,000—far more than the $20,000 per month originally projected. In this interview, FM89’s Kerry Klein sat down with Woodlake Community Development Director Jason Waters to learn about what the windfall has meant for the city and what’s in store for Woodlake cannabis in 2020.

Kerry Klein is an award-winning reporter whose coverage of public health, air pollution, drinking water access and wildfires in the San Joaquin Valley has been featured on NPR, KQED, Science Friday and Kaiser Health News. Her work has earned numerous regional Edward R. Murrow and Golden Mike Awards and has been recognized by the Association of Health Care Journalists and Society of Environmental Journalists. Her podcast Escape From Mammoth Pool was named a podcast “listeners couldn’t get enough of in 2021” by the radio aggregator NPR One.