What Happens When A State Grows Way Too Much Weed

When Oregon legalized recreational marijuana, the state decided to make the market as free and accessible as possible. It didn’t cap licenses or restrict access to people living in a state. It also made entry super cheap—growing licenses in Oregon go for as little as $1,000, compared to tens of thousands of dollars just across the border in California.

The hope was to make it as easy as possible for everyone to get in on the new and exciting market. And it worked really well. Too well, in fact.

Fast forward just a few years, and Oregon now has a serious problem on its hands. The roughly 1,100 licensed producers growing weed right now are growing way too much—about twice what the state is actually consuming. And that’s creating all sorts of problems. Unless, of course, you’re a consumer. Then it’s awesome.