At the start of the year, the cannabis industry in California was facing growing pains. Licensed businesses were struggling with high tax rates and unfair competition from a rampant and largely unchecked black market. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The crisis has placed increased pressure on a fledgling industry. Businesses in the cannabis space, like many others, are facing unprecedented challenges. But it is not all doom and gloom.

Originally published in the Los Angeles Business Journal on May 18, 2020.