Budding cannabis industry continues to grow in San Jose

San Jose, Calif. (KGO) -- As pot becomes more mainstream in California, those who are connected to the business are hoping to capitalize.

"Cannabis has never really been seen in this light before so it's exciting to be out here," said Brie Mirjah of Eel River Organics.

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Mirjah spent much of Friday in San Jose exhibiting at the Elemental Wellness Center's 420 'canna-val' celebration.

"There's no pesticides, it's all lab-tested and that's raelly important when you're getting cannabis products and medication," said Mirjah.

The local cannabis industry has seen tremendous growth since 2016, when the city adopted its regulatory framework. In the last fiscal year (July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017) the market value of San Jose's cannabis sector was $105 million dollars. That comes out to $10-point-5 million in tax revenue that went to the general fund.

The Silicon Valley Cannabis Alliance believes this is just the start of good things to come.

"We're Silicon Valley, right? If we know how to do one thing, and that is to start a business, and just you know, rock it, and just really grow the heck out of an industry, and that's what we're doing," said Silicon Valley Cannabis Alliance President Sean Kali-rai.

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The growth can also be seen in cities such as San Francisco, where State Treasurer and Gubernatorial Candidate, John Chiang toured a dispensary in the Marina Friday morning.

"California passed Prop 64 a couple of years ago," says Chiang. "We want to make sure we do everything we can to mainstream the businesses."

Local dispensary owners say they're starting to sense a shift in perception and are working hard to put product into the hands of those want it.

"We're super transparent here," said Buddy's Cannabis founder Matt Lucero. "Everything we sell is part of a rigorous license system."

"For the very first time, every single adult Californian can come into a dispensary and fully and legally celebrate the holiday," said Harborside Executive Director Steve DeAngelo. "It's a great victory dance for us today."

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