Oregon Marijuana Growers Report Huge Harvest

For the second year in a row, Oregon cannabis farmers have harvested more than a million pounds of usable marijuana.  The huge harvest (more than 453,592 kilograms) is again driving down prices for consumers and putting pressure on growers who aren’t getting the price they hoped for after a similar phenomenon in 2017.  Oregon’s cannabis market is limited to sales within the state’s borders, yet the state of about 4 million people has 1,107 licensed active producers and another 900 producers seeking licenses from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

There is also no cap on the number of licenses issued by the state, but the commission did place a temporary freeze on new applications last summer to try to address the glut.  “Everyone is concerned about this,” said Adam Smith, Craft Cannabis Alliance executive director. “You’ll see people going out of business in the spring when it’s planting time. There are far too many in the industry in distress. No one is making money here.”

Growers harvested more than 2.5 million pounds (1.1 million kilograms) of cannabis in October. Of that so-called wet harvest, 1.3 million pounds (589,670 kilograms) of usable marijuana was logged into the Oregon Liquor Control Commission’s cannabis tracking system as of December, according to the Bend Bulletin.  In 2017, the fall harvest reaped nearly 2.6 million pounds (1.2 million kilograms) of wet product and about 1 million pounds (453,592 kilograms) of usable marijuana.

The Bulletin continued that last year, cannabis farmers statewide cut back the amount they planted, while others didn’t plant at all, and some surrendered their licenses, said Don Morse, a Portland cannabis consultant. As of Wednesday, 70 grower licenses were expired, and 57 licenses were surrendered, according to commission data.

There is one silver lining: People are buying so much pot that Oregon’s marijuana tax collections have exceeded the forecast by 7 percent in the 2017-2019 biennium, according to the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis.  State economists noted that ongoing growth in sales volumes has been more than enough to make up for falling prices.

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