The cannabis gold rush in Stockton just hit a major buzzkill. In what feels like a total plot twist, the city’s 2025 Commercial Cannabis Business Lottery has gone about as smoothly as a failed startup pitch on Sand Hill Road.

The Green Desert of Opportunity

With only four applications rolling in and just one making the cut, Stockton’s dream of expanding its marijuana marketplace looks more like a dried-up dispensary than a budding business paradise. Municipal rules allow for four new cannabis-related businesses annually , two retail storefronts and two microbusinesses , but apparently, entrepreneurs aren’t exactly jumping at the chance.

The Underground Market Strikes Again

This lackluster turnout isn’t just a Stockton problem. Legal weed sellers are getting absolutely crushed by illegal competitors who don’t play by the rules. Federal restrictions mean cannabis businesses can’t easily secure loans, leaving legit entrepreneurs fighting an uphill battle against black market dealers who laugh in the face of regulation.

Big Money, Bigger Problems

To make matters more complicated, reports suggest international interests , including Chinese investors , are eyeing the cannabis market, seeing potential profit in enforcement’s current distraction with harder drugs like fentanyl. The result? A complicated landscape where legal cannabis dreams are more likely to go up in smoke than turn into lucrative ventures.