California reportedly growing eight times as much marijuana as people are actually consuming

A marijuana industry organization leader says growers in the state of California are growing the plant at a rate of about eight times the amount actually legally consumed, as the Los Angeles Times reports.

Growers across the state may be forced to scale back production, especially as state regulations are poised to ban exports come January 1.

During a panel discussion at the Sacramento Press Club on Wednesday, Hezekiah Allen, the executive director of the California Growers Association, warned that such a significant reduction in production could be "painful" for licensed growers.

"We are producing too much," Allen said, noting that legally-accredited growers "are going to have to scale back."



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Unlicensed growers, however, may attempt to continue to sell marijuana on the black market — a crime for which punitive action will eventually be enforced.

Twenty-nine states in the United States have legalized marijuana in some capacity, but as of last November, California is one of the few that has legalized its recreational use.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.

