Oregon pot glut draws look from lawmen

PORTLAND, Ore. — The black market for marijuana is thriving in Oregon, and an oversupply of weed from growers is flowing to more than two dozen states where pot remains illegal, a top federal law enforcement official said Friday. U.S. Attorney Billy Williams said the state has a “significant overproduction” problem and that he would prioritize enforcement of overproduction, interstate trafficking, organized crime and cases involving underage marijuana use and environmental damage from illicit pot farms. The comments, which echoed those he made earlier this year, were included in a memo that outlines his plans for enforcing federal drug laws in a state with legalized marijuana. Williams is the first U.S. attorney to issue such guidance after Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the guidance from President Barack Obama’s guidance on pot-friendly states in January. The state currently has nearly 1 million pounds of marijuana flower in inventory, a staggering amount for a state with a population of 4.1 million people. That doesn’t include 350,000 pounds of marijuana edibles, tinctures and concentrates. The state has 21 million square feet of legal marijuana growing and a $1 billion market statewide, he said. Of that, about one-third — or about $300 million — is diverted to the illegal market within the state, but it is not clear how much is leaving Oregon, he added.