{"id":2173,"date":"2021-11-03T12:40:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T12:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=183438"},"modified":"2021-11-03T12:40:00","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T12:40:00","slug":"new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=2173","title":{"rendered":"New Leafly \u2018Cannabis Harvest Report\u2019 values crop 5th in the nation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>New Leafly \u2018Cannabis Harvest Report\u2019 values crop 5th in the nation &#8211; Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v17.1.2 (Yoast SEO v17.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                  <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>     <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">America has begun winding down its disastrous, century-long war on marijuana. We\u2019re beating swords into plowshares. So what\u2019s coming in from the fields? The answer: America\u2019s 5th most valuable crop.<\/p>\n<p>The first-ever <a href=\"https:\/\/leafly-cms-production.imgix.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/02140733\/LeaflyCannabisHarvestReport_2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Leafly Cannabis Harvest Report<\/a>, released today, counted 13,042 cannabis farm licenses in the 11 legal states where retail stores are open. This unprecedented peek into US pot production found farmers growing 2,278 metric tons per year. It\u2019s a mind-boggling number\u2014enough to fill 57 Olympic-size swimming pools, or more than 11,000 dump trucks stretching more than 36 miles.<\/p>\n<p>With US state cannabis prices ranging from about $500 to $3,000 per wholesale pound, you\u2019re looking at a crop worth $6.175 billion per year. As measured against US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, the value of America\u2019s legal cannabis crop ranks fifth nationwide, ahead of cotton. And yet state and federal officials generally do not track it or acknowledge it.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center has-myrcene-color has-text-color\" id=\"h-click-here-to-download-the-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-2021-as-a-pdf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/leafly-cms-production.imgix.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/02140733\/LeaflyCannabisHarvestReport_2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span>Click here to download the \u2018Leafly Cannabis Harvest Report 2021\u2019 as a PDF<\/span><\/a><\/h4>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/leafly-cms-production.imgix.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/02140733\/LeaflyCannabisHarvestReport_2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"Leafly Cannabis Harvest Report Cover Image for web post\" class=\"wp-image-183420 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><\/a><figcaption>Tap the cover image to open the full report in a new tab, and save it for reference. (Leafly)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<h2>Pulling back prohibition\u2019s curtain on cannabis<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt class=\"wp-image-183422 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Cherry Cheesecake harvest at Sonoma Hills Farm, Petaluma, CA on October 6, 2021. (David Downs\/Leafly)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Why did we count the crop? Because cannabis is as stigmatized as it is valuable.<\/p>\n<p>USDA economists track annual yields, prices, and estimated values for nearly every commercial crop grown in America. But they do not track legal cannabis due to the plant\u2019s status as a federal Schedule I drug.<\/p>\n<p>Our goal with the Leafy Harvest Report is to quantify annual cannabis production in operational adult-use states, just like the USDA\u2019s Economic Research Service does for all non-cannabis crops. This is the first time anyone\u2019s done this, as far as we know.<\/p>\n<p>Voters, lawmakers, and industry leaders need these basic facts to make informed decisions. The Harvest Report is the third in this year\u2019s Leafly Reports series, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/industry\/cannabis-jobs-report\">Leafly Jobs Report<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/leafly-seeds-of-change-2021-report-rates-states-on-marijuana-equity\">Leafly Seeds of Change: Strategies to create an equitable cannabis industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>A huge harvest, even bigger report findings<\/h2>\n<p>Here are a few more takeaways from the report:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Only corn, soybeans, hay, and wheat return more wholesale revenue to<br \/>American farmers annually.<\/li>\n<li>Legal cannabis is the single most valuable crop in Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Oregon.<\/li>\n<li>In each of the 11 states with adult-use retail stores operating, cannabis ranks no lower than fifth in crop value\u2014often within two years of the first legal stores opening.<\/li>\n<li>In a surprising result, Colorado\u2019s seven-year-old legal cannabis farming industry outproduced California (627 metric tons for Colorado vs. 514 for California). But that lead might not last. After years of slow growth, California\u2019s licensed cultivation sector is finally taking off.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"A crop value comparison table showing cannabis from 11 active legal states as ranking 5th in the nation against corn and other crops.\" class=\"wp-image-183431 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Cannabis ranks 5th in value of crops produced in the US. (Leafly)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>How Leafly counted the crop<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\"(Leafly graphic\/Photo courtesy Rimrock Farms, CA)\" class=\"wp-image-183432 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-4.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-4.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-4.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-4.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>(Leafly graphic\/Photo courtesy Rimrock Farms, CA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Leafly News senior editors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/david-downs\">David Downs<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/bruce-barcott\">Bruce Barcott<\/a> teamed up with Beau Whitney at <a href=\"https:\/\/whitneyeconomics.com\/\">Whitney Economics<\/a> to aggregate annual crop data from the 11 states with active, legal adult-use cannabis sales. <\/p>\n<p>We followed the USDA\u2019s method of computing crop value by finding the average wholesale price per pound in a state, and multiplying it by the state\u2019s amount of cannabis produced. In those 11 states, we counted crops destined for both adult-use and medical outlets. <\/p>\n<p>Freelance cannabis journalists Amelia Williams (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/debunking-dispensary-myths\">Debunking Dispensary Myths<\/a>, 2020) and Zack Ruskin assisted with research and reporting.<\/p>\n<p>Read our full methodology on page 15 of the report.<\/p>\n<h2>It\u2019s time to treat cannabis farmers like first-class citizens<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" alt class=\"wp-image-183437 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-5.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-5.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-5.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation-5.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>(David Downs\/Leafly)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Prohibition, over-regulation and over-taxation infringe on Americans\u2019 constitutional right to pursue happiness with regard to cannabis gardening and farming. <\/p>\n<p>The federal government must legalize cannabis for adults, and grandfather in legacy cannabis farmers by establishing low fees and easy licensing procedures.<\/p>\n<p>The Leafly Cannabis Harvest Report summarizes the discrimination cannabis farmers face at both the federal and state levels\u2014years of review and millions of dollars in extra expenditures\u2014just to put seeds in the soil. <\/p>\n<p>Additionally, this $6 billion agricultural sector is under-banked and under-insured. Most farmers have to pay taxes in cash. Thirty-eight state attorneys general have called on Congress to pass the SAFE Banking Act, which would increase public safety and tax compliance. Reform measures like the SAFE Banking Act, and especially the MORE Act (which would legalize federally) are long overdue. <\/p>\n<p>Cannabis agriculture predates our country\u2019s union. And a more perfect union would acknowledge and respect the power of this plant.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center\">Click <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Read%20The%20Leafly%20Cannabis%20Harvest%20Report%202021\"><span>here<\/span><\/a> to email the <a href=\"https:\/\/leafly-cms-production.imgix.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/02140733\/LeaflyCannabisHarvestReport_2021.pdf\"><span>Leafly Cannabis Harvest Report 2021<\/span><\/a> to your elected lawmakers, or others.<\/h4>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation.jpg\" alt=\"David Downs and Bruce Barcott's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>David Downs and Bruce Barcott<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">David Downs directs news and lifestyle coverage as Leafly&#8217;s California bureau chief. Bruce Barcott is Leafly&#8217;s senior editor for news and investigations.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/david-downs-and-bruce-barcott\">View David Downs and Bruce Barcott&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-11-03 17:02:49 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Leafly \u2018Cannabis Harvest Report\u2019 values crop 5th in the nation &#8211; Leafly Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. America has begun winding down its disastrous, century-long war on marijuana. We\u2019re beating swords into plowshares. So what\u2019s coming in from the fields? The answer: America\u2019s 5th most valuable crop. The first-ever Leafly Cannabis Harvest Report, released today, counted 13,042&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/new-leafly-cannabis-harvest-report-values-crop-5th-in-the-nation.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}