Sacramento, CA – Weed for Warriors Project, the nation’s largest cannabis-focused veteran organization, today called on Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to spearhead a 2026 California State Initiative. The ballot measure would grant DOGE full access to the state’s budgetary process, including the power to audit nonprofits receiving the majority of their funding from state taxpayers. This urgent request stems from California’s struggling legal cannabis industry, now facing a tax hike that threatens veterans’ access to a life-saving alternative to opioids.
California is set to increase its cannabis excise tax at retail from 15% to 19% starting July 1, 2025—a deal struck three years ago between elected officials and certain nonprofit beneficiaries of cannabis tax revenue. This failing market, already crippled by high taxes and ineffective regulation, is poised to lose even more ground with this increase, further crowding out disabled veterans who rely on legal cannabis to manage pain and reduce opioid overdoses. Studies show overdose rates drop where cannabis is accessible, yet this tax hike prioritizes nonprofit funding over veteran well-being.
“The state’s cannabis policies are abandoning veterans,” said Sean Kiernan, CEO of Weed for Warriors. “This 19% tax, cooked up with nonprofits, will make legal cannabis unaffordable for disabled vets, pushing them toward opioids or the black market. Meanwhile, these same nonprofits rake in billions from taxpayers with no accountability, and California’s veteran homelessness crisis—despite billions spent—keeps getting worse.”
State budget figures paint a stark picture: nonprofits claim roughly 10-15% of California’s $300 billion-plus annual budget—between $30 billion and $45 billion—much of it funneled through programs like cannabis tax revenue. Yet transparency is nearly nonexistent. The state has poured over $20 billion into homelessness initiatives in recent years, including nonprofit contracts, with little to show for it: over 11,000 veterans remain unhoused in California, and the crisis persists.
Weed for Warriors sees DOGE as the solution. The proposed 2026 initiative would authorize DOGE to:
- Oversee California’s entire budgetary process, from revenue to expenditure.
- Audit nonprofits reliant on state taxpayer funds, especially those tied to cannabis revenue deals.
- Redirect squandered resources to voter priorities, like lowering Californians’ tax and regulatory burden.
“Elon Musk can break this cycle,” Sean Kiernan added. “Nonprofits are pocketing billions while veterans suffer, and the state’s deal to raise cannabis taxes just pours fuel on the fire. DOGE can audit these groups, cut the waste, and put taxpayers first. We need Musk to lead this initiative in 2026.”
About Weed for Warriors Project
Weed for Warriors Project is a veteran-led organization fighting for cannabis as a healing tool, fostering community care, and demanding policy reform. As the largest cannabis-focused veteran group in the U.S., it champions accountability and support for those who served.
