An Inside Look At A Disabled Welder's Pot-Growing Operation [PHOTOS]
Will's home and grow operation is in the mountains south of Olympic National Park.
![An Inside Look At A Disabled Welder's Pot-Growing Operation [PHOTOS]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticbiassets.in%2Fthumb%2Fmsid-21053923%2Cwidth-700%2Cheight-525%2Cimgsize-458230%2Fwills-home-and-grow-operation-is-in-the-mountains-south-of-olympic-national-park-.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
It's remote. His only connection to the outside world is this satellite dish.
This is Will. When Washington state voters approved a law allowing recreational marijuana use, he wasted no time finding the best pot in the world to start his business.
Washington is now the second state in the nation to allow anyone over 21 to buy up to an ounce of high-grade medical weed packed with extremely high levels of THC.
THC is what gets smokers high, and it concentrates on the buds of marijuana plants like these growing on Will's land. In the 1980s, THC concentration averaged up to only 1%.
Today's plants can hold up to 25% THC. That's what Will's shooting for because the competition is already so fierce. Anything less concentrated isn't profitable for him to grow.
The market dynamics for marijuana sales are entering uncharted territory as the state legislature steps in and assigns regulations, requirements, and taxes at all levels of operation.
Under the new law, Will is considered a "producer." The people who package the plant for sale are "processors."
And the outlets that sell to the public are the retail end of the three-tier system. Controlling more than two sections of the chain by any one party is restricted.
Instead of taxing cannabis at between 13 and 20% like alcohol, pot smokers will pony up 25% in taxes ... per tier.
Though the bill is less than a year old and won't be finalized until late summer, Will's already feeling the pinch of supply and demand on his small operation.
Rooms like this in Will's basement are popping up all over the state and retailers are enjoying a surplus of weed allowing them to buy ounces on consignment for as little as $120.
Pair the tough competition with a $250 license application fee, a $1,000 annual fee ...
... and the $200 a month electric bill for two lights, Will is only making a small profit.
Will is convinced even his modest return will vanish once larger operations ramp up to meet demand.
Pot connoisseurs are demanding more potent marijuana, so the drive is for producers here to grow the most THC-concentrated pot they can. That takes both time and money.
To compete, Will finds plants like the High Times 2013 Cannabis Cup winner "Girl Scout Cookie" to clone.
Not only is "Girl Scout Cookie" heavily covered with the crystals indicating high THC, its nuanced flavor is akin to popular sellers like "Thin Mints."
The THC concentration coupled with a variety of flavors is what the new breed of smoker demands.
That type of consumer is already proving tough for small-scale growers to satisfy while still maintaining a profit large enough get by.
But with the job market like it is here, and the money and time he's already invested, Will's not going to give up easily.
With the state maintaining a price low enough to keep black market sales untenable, neighboring states like Idaho have not been so forward in their thinking or their legislation.
Operations like this are very rare in Idaho due to the harsh penalties, so buyers there are willing to pay a premium that struggling growers in Washington have already begun to find hard to resist.
"Do I send product out of state?" Will asks. "What choice do I have if I want to compete here in Washington?"
Will is not alone in his consideration to sell to his neighboring state, and Idaho law enforcement has already seen a dramatic rise in its marijuana arrests with clueless medical marijuana cardholders not knowing their cards aren't legal in the state.
It's situations like this that could force the federal government to step in and enforce its laws, shutting down Washington State growers and forcing pot back underground.
With his mom in the next room clipping leaves off cannabis buds, Will hopes to never see that police car rolling up his driveway. "What else am I going to do?" he asks. "I have to eat."
An Inside Look At A Disabled Welder's Pot-Growing Operation [PHOTOS]
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement