I live on the Oregon/California border, where a lot of growers spilled over from Humboldt County and elsewhere. I've seen a few ups and downs in the market, but nothing like what happened over the last two years. There was a moment in 2020 when more acres of weed were being grown than alfalfa. Neighbors were signing multi-year contracts to rent out their water rights. And oh, all of the terrible behavior that the rush brought with it. So much plastic, everywhere.
And just like that, it's gone. All the big-money growers went to Oklahoma, and only a few remain. Which, I guess makes sense. The only reason they were here in the first place was because of the regulatory environment-- Not because land is particularly cheap or water particularly abundant.
I'm in the wine world, so I suppose I have some sour grapes, so to speak. In the boom times, a single cannabis plant could throw off $500 worth of product. Plus, the indoor grows were usually doing multiple harvests per year. Whereas my plant takes half a decade to establish, then produces $10 of fruit in a good year.