Washington State Swamped With Pot Growing License Applications

Image: justice.gov

While Wall Street analysts and ambitious politicians grasp at nearly any job creation straw, there's one industry that can't keep up with demand. Pot growing entrepreneurs have inundated Washington State with applications to grow weed. The Pacific Northwest state recently legalized the regulated cultivation and sale of pot. According to an article in today's Seattle Times, Washington's Liquor Control Board (LCB) had initially assumed a cap of two million square feet would be sufficient for the state's marijuana planters. The LCB misjudged demand by approximately thirty-three million square feet. Oops.

In fairness, the Seattle Times story noted that the Obama Administration influenced Washington State's planning. Essentially, the Feds didn't want extensive fields of pot plants, as DC bureaucrats didn't want Washington State to export its product to adjacent states where weed remains illegal.