Oregon’s top federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Billy Williams, addressed the marijuana surplus at a marijuana summit on Friday.
The summit was to hear how Oregon, law enforcement, and tribal and industry leaders plan to address the surplus.
According to Williams, Oregon has a “massive marijuana overproduction problem.”
The attorney believes this surplus is attracting negative things including money laundering, cartels, and criminal networks.
He wrote in the Oregonian, “In sum, I have significant concerns about the state’s current regulatory framework and the resources allocated to policing marijuana in Oregon.”
Darwin Roberts, a former federal prosecutor in Seattle has said, “The Justice Department clearly is unhappy that the states aren’t doing more to stop marijuana activity outside the state legal system.”
“I suspect that for DOJ to allow the states to keep making money off legal marijuana, DOJ will want to see a real commitment of state tax dollars to law enforcement efforts against black market growing and trafficking heading out of state.”
“Here’s what I know in terms of the landscape here in Oregon, and that is, we have an identifiable and formidable marijuana overproduction and diversion problem,” Williams said.
He added: “And make no mistake about it, we’re going to do something about it.”
