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Oregon freezes cannabis production amid glut, black market sales

May 1, 2019

Amid a massive surplus of cannabis, Oregon lawmakers and regulators hope to adjust supply and demand through a temporary freeze on marijuana production. [Cal Coast Times]

The Oregon Senate voted 18-10 on Monday in favor of a bill to freeze cannabis cultivation at its current level. The bill is headed to the House for consideration. If passed, the bill will suspend the issuance of new permits and hold production at current levels for the next two years.

In 2014, recreational marijuana became legal in Oregon and cultivation exploded across the state. Oregon currently has enough cannabis in storage to supply the state for more than six years.

Because of the large supply of cannabis in Oregon, some of the surplus is ending up on the black market; smuggled to states where it is illegal.

In California, cannabis production is said to be eight times more than consumed by residents. And California law also prohibits weed exports to other states.


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So much greed in the industry it is sickening. The headline was missing the last couple words that seem pretty important… ‘at its current level’. How does that still make any sense? They have enough surplus to last 6 years (although you can’t really store cannabis flower that long, it will start to go bad after a year as the THC naturally converts to other cannabinoids over time). If the current level of growing is creating such a large surplus, the answer to the problem doesn’t seem to be freezing it at it’s current level, but reducing it by 6x. Unfortunately we all know states are hooked on that $$$ and removing that many growers is going to cut into their piggy bank.


5

Let the free market deal with the over supply. This is a young business that must go thru it’s boom and bust cycles. The government is practicing socialism here by controlling output.


4

If it were federally legal that would be the best solution, but since it isn’t and the product is traveling to red states it becomes a problem. It isn’t the gov’t making people sell out of state, the people are making those bad decisions on their own and giving ammo for the anti-cannabis crowd and feds by doing it, all because greed outweighs playing by the rules.


-1

If the Government didn’t try to run the whole thing and had let it work it’s way out to the public like any other product this would have worked its self out. If they had just used the same rules and regulations as alcohol, it would have been tested, packaged, shipped and sold. Over production would have meant falling prices. Then again it’s just a weed, pretty easy to grow your own…


2

This is what happens when government controls the market. KAOS


1

A consequence of a VERY BAD public policy decision. The only word that comes to mind is “stupid”. I don’t know of any non-users who thought this was a good idea, only those who wanted another legal drug to entertain themselves. And please don’t give me the medical use “smokescreen”, that’s so much non sense.


13

Don’t forget about all of the revenue that the government was going to solve their financial problems. Next we will hear about the negative financial problem that they have created and you all know what is next. The only way they know how to fix anything-TAX INCREASE.


12

Too bad this revenue stream can’t be as good as the State Lotto. Schools are now completely funded by all the people who buy Lotto tickets and cigarettes. Sure takes the burden off us tax payers. So happy to earn an income in California.


-1

Not really! True the schools are funded by the Lottery. But at the same time the politicians have take the money that had been funded out of their General fund and have used it elsewhere. So the bottom line is that no additional funds were used for education. That’s why they are all in the red.


6

The tax dollars saved by not; arresting, convicting, and sentencing people to long stays in prison is the real revenue boon for the state.


The drug prevention / enforcement apparatus (CAMP) will turn its sights onto “code violators” for non-compliance. Large civil fines will now replace incarceration, which will generate revenue to pay for the CAMP enforcement practices.


The likely result is a revenue neutral, or slightly positive, effect on our state budget versus the revenue blackhole we created by making a “weed” illegal / criminal.


1

How about the government OR busybodies Just leave people alone. Pot should have never been outlawed.


1

“Smokescreen”, I like it… Now let me educate you a little…

First off the article is just a bit misleading as the Oregon Legislative process isn’t concluded yet so NO freeze is in place, and the likelihood of that happening is pretty slim as the House is pretty staunch on letting the cannabis industry balance itself out (less oversight, something most of you like, right?).

Here in Medford there is currently a vote going on by the community on how to best spend the $1.2 million dollar tax revenue that this city has received from cannabis sales (imagine that, a city council putting it out to a vote by it’s citizenry on how best to spend this money, SLO would be in upheaval if anything like that would happen). #1 in the polls right now is a new pool for the cities aquatic center (something I voted for as it does the most good for the greatest amount of people, especially our kids), #2 is helping the homeless dilemma, with another 6 suggestions to choose from as well (the one dead last right now is putting that money towards the public employees retirement system, Geeee! I wonder why?! And I wonder who put that up in the first place?)

There are medical uses for cannabis with the possibility of many more coming on line very shortly; what’s really interesting about it aye’, it’s our government that owns the exclusive patent on all things medical cannabis can provide! Why’s that if it’s nothing but a “smokescreen”?

That patent number is 6,630,507, and it involves cannabis’ antioxidant properties, properties can be used to treat the following:

Ischemia, Age-related inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, Neurological damage, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, HIV dementia

According to the patent filing: “Nonpsychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol, are particularly advantageous to use because they avoid toxicity that is encountered with psychoactive cannabinoids at high doses useful in the method of the present invention.”

Also, please tell those veterans that use cannabis, either in CBD oil form or the smokable varieties, to help with their PTSD, or those folks with cancer going through chemotherapy to help their appetites, and the variety of other medical applications it’s used for, that it’s all a “smokescreen”! You’d either be laughed out of the room or ran out on a rail…

I give my dog CBD oil for his arthritis and it’s immediate effect was astonishing, and it’s continued effect has my 12 year old Lab’ actin’ 3 again!

Stop with the ignorance, educate yourself, maybe drip some CBD oil in your Remy Martin, or fill that meerschaum pipe with something non-lethal, or just go buy a pre-roll and smoke one of those instead of that Marlboro that will kill you and get a better perspective on cannabis! Hey, ya never know, it may even change your perspective on life as a whole….


Cheers!


6

So the current level of production has produced a glut so lets freeze production at this level, only government thinks this way. How about paying people to either start buying pot or to go out and purchase more pot, Now that really is government thinking. Of course don’t cut or stop production so that 6 year supply would decrease, because why?, there would be no pot taxes coming in the support a bloated government.


0

Well, it’s not like you could even motivate the pot crowd with a pot give away to generate lackluster sales. Hey, maybe we need more government oversight on this, huh?


1

“Well, it’s not like you could even motivate the pot crowd with a pot give away to generate lackluster sales.” WANNA BET! I recently went to La Pine for the introduction of Jim Belushi’s (yea, John’s brother) strain of cannabis, “Belushi’s Private Vault” and “Captain Jack”, and yes there was free samples! Yet, they also sold a bunch that day as well (it helped that Jim was at the store as he now calls Southern Oregon (White City) home).

Let me share this link as it may surprise y’all that Jim is as articulate as they come…

https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2019/04/16/26326841/jim-belushi-medical-marijuana-would-have-saved-my-brothers-life


0

Is anyone surprised.


22