A light shines behind plants growing in the indoor cultivation facility for The Outliers Collective, a California medical marijuana dispensary in San Diego, on Oct. 19, 2016. (Vince Chandler, The Denver Post)

Infographic: A detailed look at all the marijuana that’s growing in California

California was known as a major marijuana-producing state before it legalized recreational use. Just how big of a producer may surprise you. Take a look at this detailed infographic developed by our partners at the Orange County Register. Read more about what they found below.

California map of marijuana production
(Graphic by The Orange County Register)

Locally grown

As of Nov. 9, adults in California are allowed to grow up to six marijuana plants per household as long as the area is locked and not visible from a public place. Rules may vary depending on municipal restrictions. Purchasing marijuana for recreational use will not be allowed until 2018.

Major growth
One indication of how much marijuana is grown in California is the number of plants seized by law enforcement on federal lands. The graphic above shows some of the largest areas where trespass cultivation occurred in 2013 in national forests.

Chart of California marijuana seizures
(The Orange County Register)

Why on public lands?
A lot of outdoor cannabis cultivation in California occurs on public lands, where cultivators take advantage of remote areas to avoid risk of forfeiture of property.

Outdoor growing can yield more per plant and have less overhead than indoor growing. California has 1.3 million acres of state park land and more than 8 million acres of national forest and wilderness.

Estimated market total
The United Nations World Drug Report estimates that law enforcement around the world seizes only 10 to 20 percent of drugs produced. If the marijuana plants seized in 2015 (2.64 million) are considered to be 20 percent of California’s production, the state would have had 13.2 million plants. If each plant produced a conservatively estimated 1 pound with a market price of $1,765 per pound, the total value would equal about $23.3 billion.

Chart of top crops in California
(The Orange County Register)


What’s happened in other states

Colorado voted in 2012 to legalize recreational use of marijuana, which led to legalization in 2014. The charts below show how prices for marijuana declined in the state, while the taxes raised from it increased. California is likely to have the same situation but on a much larger scale.

Chart on wholesale and retail marijuana prices
(The Orange County Register)

Colorado tax revenue chart
(The Orange County Register)

U.S. map of pot prices
(The Orange County Register)

Sources: California Department of Agriculture, Drug Enforcement Agency, Leafly.com, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, Priceofweed.com.

This story was first published on TheCannifornian.com