Today, a new report on marijuana production, distribution and consumption in Oregon is finding major problems since the legalization of the drug. The Idaho/Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) report finds there is so much pot in circulation, it’s being shipped to more than half the states in the nation. The study also discovered many illicit growth sites are in impoverished counties that could one day see their economy collapse due to falling pot prices.
Moreover, one in four users are multiple day users in the state and there is about one marijuana grow site for every 19 users when adjusted for population growth. It’s a lot of pot, with most of it moving across borders.
Additionally, the report discovered that:
· More than a third of eight graders reported exposure to online marijuana ads in the last 30 days
· Marijuana from Oregon had been seized while en route to 37 states including Ohio, Florida, New York, and New Jersey
· From 2011 to 2016, 84 percent of illicit grow sites were on federal lands contributing to $2.1 billion dollars-worth of marijuana grown on such sites
· As of this year, 31 percent of the pot inventory was distributed legally, leaving 69 percent unconsumed
· By 2016, pot was easier to access than cigarettes among 11th graders in the state
To read the complete report, please click here.
“The effects of commercialization on Oregon are painfully clear: more use, more advertising, and more Big Tobacco playbook tactics. There is no potency limit on pot in Oregon, and Big Marijuana is already producing multiple times the demand for pot, which is fueling a massive black market. It’s time we held the industry accountable for its actions.” says Dr. Kevin Sabet with SAM.