March/16/2020
In the U.S., Massachusetts has one of the highest wholesale prices for wholesale marijuana flowers, and the producers are working to increase production to meet the ever-growing demand. As the regulators approve more stores, the supply is becoming more strained. It will take a while before production facilities are built out to tend to the demands of the recreational market, and the prices are going to continue rising.
Currently, marijuana business owners in the state are selling wholesale cannabis flowers for:
- Premium quality indoor grown: $4,200. In 2019, it was sold for $3,500.
- Average-quality indoor-grown: $3,800. In 2019, it was sold for $2,800.
Theory Wellness director of marketing, Thomas Winstanley, said that the wholesale marijuana flower market is very competitive. Theory Wellness is a vertically integrated marijuana company based in Great Barrington.
The prices for wholesale marijuana flowers are determined by the trimming methods as well as the THC results. The flowers that are trimmed by hand and has a THC concentration of 20% and above attract higher prices.
The high cost of marijuana flowers is passed on to the consumers, as an eighth of an ounce of adult-use flowers are going for $60 to $70 in Massachusetts.
The vertically integrated companies have the advantage of reaping all the benefits if they choose to sell their flower at their retail outlet or produce more in order to sell to the wholesale market.
The summer the prices for wholesale marijuana flowers are expected to be high, but when the outdoor harvest hits the market in fall and more indoor cultivators have built out their facilities, the prices are expected to start slowly falling.
The CEO and co-founder of Manna Molecular, Nial DeMena, said that currently, demand for marijuana flowers outpace the supply. Manna Molecular is a company that specializes in the production of marijuana-infused products, and it is based in Mansfield.
DeMena further said that when there is a supply shortage, vertically integrated companies have a significant advantage over buyers. For example, when a vertically integrated company sells m20 pounds of marijuana flower to the purchaser; however, they have a clause saying that he must also but $150,000 worth of marijuana-infused products.
This proves to be a challenge when it comes to keeping up with demand, said Patrick Johnson, the president of Curaleaf, which is a vertically integrated marijuana company based in Wakefield, Massachusetts.
Johnson further said that apart from lack of quality cannabis, there is also a shortage of a wide variety of sativa, indica, and hybrid strains. Curaleaf is buying from other marijuana flower growers to increase its selection for the consumers.
It will take several months before supply and demand can even out. More retail marijuana outlets will open irrespective of where the supply is enough, and this will increase access and demand, marijuana executives in Massachusetts predicted.
