Report: Californians consume 16 million ounces of pot a year

So how much pot do Californians smoke?

According to a recent state Board of Equalization report prepared for the Legislature, it's 16 million ounces a year. That's a little less than one-half an ounce for each resident in California, in case you're counting every man, woman and child.

The analysis was prepared for legislation by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, that seeks to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana for use by California adults 21 and over.

Some other findings:

* California is America's top pot producing state, with an annual yield of 8.6 million pounds of weed valued at $13.8 billion. That's more than one-third of the cultivation across the U.S.

* Legalization of marijuana in California would cause the street price of pot to drop by 50 percent, but prompt 40 percent more Californians to turn to marijuana use. At least, that is, until a state tax kicks in.

* Once Ammiano's plan to impose a $50 per ounce tax is in effect, it would reduce consumption by 11 percent.

To view the BOE document, click here.
[link to www.boe.ca.gov]

[link to www.sacbee.com]