Too much weed? Oregon's got a marijuana surplus and officials aren't happy

Sophie Quinton, Stateline Published 7:00 a.m. ET July 12, 2019

Five years after Oregon legalized recreational marijuana, its lawmakers now are trying to rein in production, fearing the state’s big weed surplus will tempt some licensed businesses to sell their products out of state or on the illegal market.

Such diversions could invite a crackdown from the federal government and cast a pall over the legal pot industry. Last year, the U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon put the state on notice when he announced that curbing interstate trafficking was his top cannabis law enforcement priority.

Licensed growers have spent thousands of dollars on compliance and don’t want to risk their businesses by selling illegally, said Michael Getlin, founder of a 15,000-square-foot cannabis farm in Oregon City. “The flip side of that is, I get cold calls all the time from people out of state looking to go shopping,” he said — often offering two or three times market price in Oregon.

Oregon’s surplus, though legal, is something of a cautionary tale for other states as they try to manage marijuana supply and demand. Enough recreational cannabis sat on dispensary shelves, in warehouses and in processing plants this January to satisfy buyers for more than six years, according to a report from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the state agency that regulates recreational marijuana.

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/07/12/oregon-legalized-recreational-marijuana-now-fears-weed-pot-surplus/1703278001/