Bill Maher Vents California’s High Taxes Are Crushing His Pot Biz With Woody Harrelson: ‘F*ck!’

Bill Maher vented the profits from his pot dispensary with Woody Harrelson are going up in smoke, due to California’s high taxes.

The veteran comic and weed smoker revealed he is burning up over the biz troubles during the Monday episode of his Club Random podcast. Maher said he understands why everyone wants to be friends with his bud Harrelson after working with him — which led him to thinking about the dispensary they co-own.

“I never worked with him, except on a pot store, which loses money,” Maher said.

He let it rip from there.

“It’s almost impossible to make a business work in California like that. I mean, just the state takes like 40% taxes. Fuck!” Maher said. “When I bought drugs from a skeezy dealer, he didn’t skim 40%!”

His guest, British comic Jack Whitehall, was cracking up as Maher went off. The Real Time host then explained he didn’t have the audacity to take such a big cut of the loot when he was selling pot back in the day.

“I was a dealer, I did skim a little,” Maher said. “Like I would buy a pound, which is 16 ounces, and make 17 ounces out of it. Okay, that’s not 40%! But the government is worse than the dealer.”

Maher and Harrelson opened their pot shop — dubbed “The Woods” — in West Hollywood in 2022, four years after California legalized recreational weed smoking.

The move was celebrated by then-Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who had previously said he was “not pro-marijuana, I’m just vehemently anti-prohibition.”

Legalization led to a slew of weed stores like The Woods rolling out, and also created a fresh tax stream for the state’s government. California brought in more than $1 billion in cannabis sales last year and has made nearly $8 billion since 2018. Maher did not exaggerate the potent taxes he and Harrelson have to pay, with the combo of state and local taxes pushing their rate to around 40%.

Watch above.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!