Editor:
When Kym Kemp warns us that “an enormous tsunami is poised to drown the economics of this area,” she means her neighbors in SoHum will be between scams (“Welcome to Pot City!” March 25).
“There isn’t a trade or company that doesn’t receive a goodly portion of its monthly income either directly or indirectly from cannabis.” Actually there is one: Arcata Arts, my publishing company. I get the feeling we’re not alone.
Legalization will push weed down to around 50 cents a pound, in line with other cheap agricultural commodities. It will be grown in Kentucky and North Carolina on 10,000-acre plantations, just like tobacco — maybe on the very same plantations. The “enormous tsunami” crowd can try plying motorists with puffs of sinsemilla, hopefully in some unpopulated county far from here.
Without pot growing, Humboldt County can get back to being Humboldt County. We’ll still have our Redwoods, our coastline, our charming towns, our rivers and our university. We don’t need help from armed thugs in grow houses to plan our future.
Gordon Inkeles, Arcata
This article appears in College In Revolt.
Legal cannabis in CA will not spur growth in North Carolina or Kentucky. Industrial hemp is different than flowers for human consumption. Your valuation of the commodity, hemp, may be correct, however the value of specialty products is rarely tied to the price of bulk commodities.
Hemp will be a valuable commodity, bales of what amounts to high quantities cellulose will unseat corn as the choice for ethanol, tree pulp as paper and cotton for fiber. Industrial hemp will be the domain of large farms and agro-industry. Perhaps your publishing company will be using hemp paper in the next decade because it is both more sustainable and less expensive than virgin pulp paper?
Flowers for smoking will remain in the hands of the small producers and will not be the pursuit of major companies. Liability, the fact that pot will still be illegal in 49 states, and federal laws will prevent RJR from getting into the pot business. Quality slips in mass production. Flavor and aroma are paramount, and honestly abundant supplies of low quality cannabis already dominate the market in most of the country. It hails from Mexico, likely it would be imported as it can be produced for less.
Besides, do the top-tier winemakers fear the production of table grapes or the Gallo wines produced in the central valley? Is the mere 8.9% market share held by the entirety of craft brewers threatened by the 52% market share held by Anheiser Busch and their parent company?
The premium quality cannabis market should not feel threatened. The producers should be prepared for regulation and the need to market your products.
Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity have a climate favorable to high-grade cannabis production. Long, dry summers prevent rot, mold and poor flowering. A single rainstorm and even high humidity can compromise a crop. The Southeast is no place to grow high-quality pot.
The author’s arrogance is only superseded by his ignorance.
I like your use of the word "bales." After legalization pot will be measured not in ounces or pounds but bales–like hay.
As for "high grade cannabis production" that can be done anywhere with some grow lights. We grew so-called "Humboldt Pot" last winter in an apartment in Philly, Got top dollar for it too!
HUMBOLDT POT…thanks for the brand name idea. By the time you read this our lawyers will have it patented.