A surprisingly tough sell: Growers struggle with glut of legal marijuana in Washington state
Washington's legal marijuana market opened last summer to a dearth of weed. Some stores periodically closed because they didn't have pot to sell. Prices were through the roof.
Six months later, the equation has flipped, bringing serious growing pains to the new industry.
A big harvest of sun-grown marijuana from eastern Washington last fall flooded the market. Prices are starting to come down in the state's licensed pot shops, but due to the glut, growers are struggling to sell their marijuana. Some are finding it tougher than expected to make a living in legal weed.
Grower Andrew Seitz at Dutch Brothers Farms in Seattle calls it an "economic nightmare."
State data show that Washington's relatively few retail stores have sold less than one-fifth of the 31,000 pounds of marijuana flower that growers have harvested.