Marijuana Auction Brings in Less Than Expected

Fireweed Farm owner Randy Williams got less money than he originally wanted in Washington State’s first marijuana auction over the weekend.

Despite pre-auction publicity claiming 500-2,000 pounds would be for sale, Williams sold 300 pounds of cannabis for about $600,000, according to the Associated Press. The Prosser, Washington, grower originally wanted to fetch about $1 million.

The auction was attended by at least two representatives of the Washington Liquor Control Board and took place in a black tent fronted by tall heaters, the AP said. The cannabis, which was planted in May and harvested in September and October, was priced by the gram and auctioned in lots ranging from about a half-pound to five pounds.

Some proceeds of the sale, totaling about $14,000, will be donated to local schools, Williams told the Associated Press.

The auction was “a well-organized event,” said Jeremy Wissing, an officer with the state board, who monitored a portion of Saturday’s auction. “It isn’t a circus,” he said. “I’m not seeing open consumption of marijuana.”