If you grew up in the Emerald Triangle, marijuana permeates the fabric of your life in ways people from outside the area cannot imagine. It threads throughout much of the social and political aspects of the Humboldt world. But it is with money, money, money that this intertwining is most apparent — and this financial aspect subtly weaves through even in the most conservative household on the North Coast.
Any business here in Humboldt relies in part on money from the marijuana industry. There isn’t a trade or company that doesn’t receive a goodly portion of its monthly income either directly or indirectly from cannabis. Even churches receive tithes from people whose jobs wouldn’t exist if marijuana money didn’t support the framework of the North Coast economy.
Today, an enormous tsunami is poised to drown the economics of this area. If — and, with an assembly bill and a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana pending, a better word is “when” — marijuana is legalized, corporations could wrench control of cannabis production from locals and prices could fall. The result for Humboldt could be the failure of many of the small businesses that rely on marijuana money. First, the obvious ones like horticulture companies and head shops will go under. But then the wave will begin to destroy grocery stores and insurance brokers, doctors and dentists, volunteer fire departments and hospices — for these are indirectly subsidized by the massive influx of marijuana income to the area. Yes, even churches and nursery schools will feel the tidal wave pulling them under. As each business collapses, its employees will quit supporting another level of stores and tradespeople. Then, in turn, those businesses will crumple and pull down another level of commerce.
Anna Hamilton, founder of the Southern Humboldt-based What’s After Pot (WAP), says when she talks about the consequences of legalization the “most concerned … are business people who have already seen the ball drop … These people are pragmatic … They know what is happening and they are scared to death!”
Does it have to be this way? Or are there methods for Humboldt to prepare for a future without wallets full of illegal cash?
One possibility would be to become the destination of choice for the marijuana tourist. Are there such creatures? And, more importantly, are they worth wooing?
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In fact, there are already successful venues for marijuana tourism — think Amsterdam and Jamaica. Right now, Denver is positioning itself to rake in large piles of legal money from the cannabis consumer. Eric Sligh, editor of Humboldt Grow Magazine, describes how during a recent visit to Colorado he saw “streets full of well dressed 25- to 30-year-olds trying to pitch their marijuana related products. [It is] like Mad Men — everyone has their eyes on the prize … It feels like the gold rush but much more corporate. [There are] lawyers and medical marijuana consultants … The dispensaries have a nice-coffee-shop-in-Venice feel.” (Disclosure: I also write for Grow.)
Sligh thinks that in spite of the fact that Humboldt itself is a marijuana mecca, “[Denver] is going to put us out of business. The state over there is facilitating the whole process.” This difference between California’s and Colorado’s marijuana climate is best seen in an article by the Marijuana Policy Project, which quotes Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley as saying that all collectives are illegal and “are going to be prosecuted.” Meanwhile, Cooley’s counterpart, Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett, recently explained that in regards to medical marijuana, he was the “most progressive of any DA in Colorado” and indicated that he’s willing to consider full marijuana legalization. Earlier this month, a bi-partisan group of lawmakers in the Rocky Mountain state sent an e-mail to Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to “consider imposing a moratorium on medical marijuana sector raids.” They added, “[W]e believe it is a mistake to put the activities of the legitimate medical marijuana community in the same category as … criminal conglomerates.” These dissimilar attitudes can create communities that will either surf the coming changes or drown beneath them.
Humboldt does have brand name recognition, but we don’t have obvious support from county officials for the cannabis vacationer. Can we as a county do more to bring marijuana tourists to our area? Do we want them? If we do, how do we attract them?
Marijuana tourism is hard to quantify. People are unlikely to admit that they come here to experience an illegal culture or consume an illegal product. Nonetheless, indications that the marijuana tourist is a regular customer in Humboldt can be found. Quick perusals of marijuana Web sites and chat rooms show frequent referrals to Humboldt and Mendocino vacations. Several large events in the area seem likely to appeal to the cannabis visitor — Reggae on the River and Reggae Rising being prime examples. The money from these festivals brings much-needed cash to the area. In addition, anecdotal evidence suggests entrepreneurs move here to be part of the marijuana culture and start up small businesses. But we could do more to support the toke-and-travel tourist and these small business people.
“Any targeted tourism market depends on the local business suppliers to turn an idea or a resource into a product,” says Tony Smithers, executive director of the Humboldt County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We would need … [an] MJ museum, hands-on growing experiences, pot bars, special events, etc. before there would be anything to market. Having said that, if these services do develop then I fully intend to market them … I will lobby vigorously to serve this market. Marketing is about giving the customer what he wants, and the market will decide whether this form of tourism will thrive. Amsterdam seems to do okay.” Though Smithers makes it clear that these opinions are his own and are “not reflected by the bureau and the board or the clients, etc.,” he is not alone in thinking that Humboldt could tap into a lucrative market if it had the right kind of draws to bring in the right kind of tourist.
Some people worry that the marijuana tourist will be a panhandling transient more likely to suck services from the county than to drop money in local businesses. Smithers disagrees. “The people who come are those you market to,” he says. “Do you advertise in High Times or in Sunset? Target people with fat wallets.”
Smithers points out that the Baby Boomers are a large part of society — a “bulge in the snake.” “Many of them are now retiring and ‘reinventing themselves’ — recapturing their youth, which could include recapturing the ’60s,” he says. An ad campaign tied to evoking the Flower Power movement, perhaps with a tie-dye theme and focusing on the current trend for authentic (not Disney) vacations could bring older, well-heeled tourists with an appreciation not only for the Humboldt weed but for the Redwoods, the beautiful coastline and the delicious local foods.
Furthermore, he points out these Baby Boomers are older and facing medical issues that they may choose to treat with marijuana. In fact, the latest research is showing that Boomers are increasingly using cannabis for both recreation and medical reasons. According to surveys by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, among 55-59 year olds the use of marijuana has tripled since 2002. These older, prosperous tourists with an appreciation for all the products Humboldt has to offer seem like good targets for Humboldt County to try to attract. If we want them and other well-to-do cannabis aficionados, then, what are some of the things we need to do now to maximize our tourism potential?
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Here are a few suggestions:
1). We should embrace our status as one of the premier cannabis areas in the world. Whenever people hear the word “Humboldt,” the first thought on their mind is potent, green buds. Trying to rebrand us — ignoring the name recognition we already have — is like Hollywood wanting to be known as the palm tree capital. Why ignore what we are already famous for in favor of what few people recognize? That doesn’t mean disregard other good commodities like grass fed beef and beautiful coastlines, but these should be packaged with our marijuana status, not instead of it.
2). We should look into branding weed (215 dispensaries have a quasi-legal status) in a similar fashion to the Champagne region in France — only weed grown in Humboldt could carry the Humboldt name. In other words, we need to start working now to stop corporate America from co-opting our name. We need to preempt R.J. Reynolds Co. and its ilk from putting out packs of substandard pot labeled Humboldt Red.
A local blog suggested a simple green triangle displaying either an H, T or M for the famous trio of counties making up the Emerald Triangle — Humboldt, Trinity and Mendocino.
3). We should build up our marijuana infrastructure. As Smithers explained, we need places for the cannabis consumer to come visit. We already have some wonderful head shops and glass blowers in the area. Garberville’s The Hemp Connection, a clothing shop, provides an excellent model for servicing both local residents and vacationers with its unique combination of hemp fabric clothing and headshop atmosphere, as well as its main street location, situated to grab the curious tourist.
As a county, we should encourage the marijuana entrepreneur. Perhaps small business grants and classes to help entrepreneurs get off the ground could be targeted right at these alternative capitalists.
Types of businesses likely to draw in the people searching for an authentic cannabis experience could include those like the Emerald Triangle Marijuana University, which is beginning to offer classes on how to grow good ganja. Not only do businesses such as this bring in people from outside the area with money to spend, they continue to promote Humboldt as a premier marijuana destination.
The more authentic these places are the better. For years, people have floated the idea of having some small 215 farms available for people to visit. A former local resident, Debbie Green, suggests these small farms could be called “marijuanaries,” after the specialty wineries that make up much of Napa and the surrounding areas. With a 215, a medically certified client could come out into the hills to stay at a bed and breakfast that offers a clip-your-own-bud experience with the finest local ganja. The legality of such places would have to be carefully researched, but the potential for wealthy customers eager to immerse themselves in nature and capture a true cannabis experience can be seen in wine consumers flooding the Napa area for education and pleasure. If marijuana becomes legal, the potential for such marijuanaries would explode with tourists from outside the region and even outside the country eager to experience a genuine aspect of the Humboldt lifestyle.
In addition to the for-profit business model, something more like a Marijuana Museum, which would focus on the history of cannabis, would be an important draw. With the advent of Proposition 215, it is perfectly feasible to have legal marijuana available for people to see and smell and even purchase as long as they are medical patients. Let’s face it: People from other areas are titillated by the brush with the wild side that Humboldt can afford. Other areas capitalize with exhibits on alcohol prohibition or the outlaw lifestyle found in the Old West. We could do the same with marijuana.
In addition, the Garberville Hospital is looking into becoming the first medical facility in the nation that is also a dispensary. Firsts like this could build Humboldt’s reputation and hook into the medical tourist phenomenon that is currently supporting large numbers of facilities throughout the world.
4). We should connect Napa to Humboldt — encourage tourists who are already visiting Wine Country to swing up north to see the marijuana world. Tours of cannabis culture could be combined with tours of Wine Country both by bus and by bike. As a bonus, our local breweries and wineries could benefit, as well as our local restaurants and hotels. A Weed and Wine Tour could offer the 215 tourist a look at both the top notch wines of the region and the highest quality buds of Humboldt, Trinity, and Mendocino. Later, after marijuana is legalized, the North Coast could pull in many eager tourists from around the world.
5). We should work with the other Emerald Triangle counties to build brand recognition for the whole region. If people travel a long distance, they want more than one small county to see and do things in. While Humboldt has the greater name recognition, Mendocino — and to a lesser extent, Trinity — also have names in the marijuana world. Furthermore, their similar rural roots and scenic byways make them a natural choice to be promoted as a group.
6). We should provide a Web site and a paper tourist guide to the cannabis attractions of the Emerald Triangle. These tourist maps should list headshops, glassblowing stores, events and dispensaries, as well as natural tie-ins to the marijuana tourist trade such as our excellent restaurants and local breweries. They should also feature articles on local products such as the cheeses, ice creams, flowers and grass-fed beef that are provided by other local business people. Farmers’ Markets should also be highlighted in them. We need guides that will point out where to find goods and services that the marijuana industry in the area can provide. People come here looking for dispensaries and headshops, but we don’t do a good job providing information on how to find them. As excellent as some of our local tourist information is, we need something that shines a spotlight on the culture that provides the major stimulus to the local economies. Perhaps something called Smokin’ Places to Visit for the Marijuana Tourist. Or Eat, Drink, Toke: Humboldt County. Or Herbaceous Humboldt: A Guide to the North Coast and the Marijuana World.
7). We need more festivals. Reggae on the River and Reggae Rising already draw in thousands, but the audience wants more than the music — they want the weed. “Humboldt County is always a good time,” reggae great Michael Rose was recently quoted as saying in the Times-Standard. “You get the best of everything and good marijuana, mmmmm!” Music stars know about our famous plant. They are reputedly pleased to make rural Humboldt one of their stops because of its location between Portland and San Francisco and access to its well-known weed. Snoop Dogg reportedly passed around a collection bucket for the local bud three times during his last concert here. And music stars aren’t the only ones pleased to be in Humboldt. Music fans come to hear top music and come to be part of the famed marijuana culture.
The Mendocino Emerald Cup, which occurs in December, has the potential to become a huge draw for ganja guys and gals. (The Emerald Cup, in a strange turn of events, is a marijuana competition inspired by the Amsterdam Cannabis Cup, which was originally based on what High Times called “spectacular California harvest festivals of the ’70s.”)
There are already some fine music festivals in the area, as well as some good local arts events and some that are hard to define — Mushroom Fair, the Hemp Festival, and Godwit days. The more there are, and the more they are tied to the local marijuana, the better for the local economy now and in the future if marijuana is legalized.
8). Finally, and most importantly, we need to focus attention on growing the unique and flavorful strains that gave Humboldt its preeminence for years. We need to produce high-quality weed that has the exclusive essence of the California fog and sunshine woven into its fiber. What we don’t need are more generic buds that can be produced anywhere. That might mean that indoor growers should begin to work on developing unique outdoor strains at the same time they are producing the indoor that they are currently making the most money on. (The growing consensus is that outdoor is best for the environment and can be nearly as profitable as indoor. However, those unwilling to give up indoor growing now should consider developing strong outdoor strains to prepare for legalization. This will be best for their financial future and for the future of the county.) As a new local blog, High Like Me states:
“The Emerald Triangle didn’t rise to mythic status in the world of weedcraft because it has the best subterranean grow rooms. The baristas in my L.A. pharmacy didn’t whisper in hushed tones about Mendo weed or Humboldt fields of green because of the lighting fixtures. Beyond the reservoirs of knowledge, beyond the fabled genetics, the Emerald Triangle has a reputation because of what and where it is … .
“You can hang a grow light in a SoCali basement as easily as in a Humboldt grow house, but you can’t replicate a redwood forest terroir in a concrete jungle.”
The concept of a terroir is that the soil, weather and farming techniques of a certain region contribute to the flavor of a product. This is why the French only allow sparkling wine from Champagne to carry that label. Humboldt should emulate this practice and thinking.
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Should Humboldt encourage legalization? There are those who worry that legalizing marijuana will lead to more than the economic downfall of our county. Dr. Ken Miller worries that legalization could lead to more young people consuming cannabis. He feels that marijuana’s illegality is a “gatekeeper standing in the way to keep it from being marketed to the youth.” According to him, one-third of college students binge drink, and most smokers start in their teens. If marijuana were legal, corporations would start targeting marijuana advertising at vulnerable young people. He suggests we look to decriminalization as a way to both keep corporate hands off marijuana and to keep marijuana users from suffering serious criminal consequences. According to him, decriminalization, as opposed to legalization, would keep corporations from waltzing in and taking over marijuana production. Decriminalization would keep penalties for growing down but keep cannabis growing clandestine and outside of the legal framework.
Nonetheless, with current trends being what they are, marijuana seems more and more likely to be legalized. Humboldt County would do well to position itself with that future scenario in mind. “Visioning is what we are supposed to do so we don’t get caught off guard,” Tony Smithers says about the tourist industry. That should apply to all of us.
Anna Hamilton of What’s After Pot (WAP) agrees. She’s trying to get the community to work together to advocate for their economic survival.
Hamilton knows that many people don’t think citizens can effect change, but she has learned differently. “I’ve never been a visionary,” she says. “I never thought KMUD would get off the ground. If I was here before the Credit Union and the Health Center, I would never have believed.” But those Southern Humboldt institutions — along with others, such as the Environmental Protection Information Center, the Civil Liberties Monitoring Project and Sanctuary Forest — have done well and benefited the community, she says. “[I]f the same talent applies itself to planning the transition to legal marijuana then we can protect at least some of our interests.”
If the language of legalization is well written it could protect this area. As both Smithers and Miller point out, Humboldt has a lot of talent in the marijuana industry. Smithers says that we are the “Silicon Valley” of cannabis. He points out that we have a great deal of knowledgeable people living here — a pool of people who would be useful to draw on for information about growing.
With this pool of people and county officials willing to go to bat for us, we could position ourselves well for the coming tsunami of legalization. We could do this by supporting small local growers and positioning ourselves to be the cannabis destination of choice.
Legalization is likely to come. Whether it happens next year or in the next decade is up for debate, but it is almost assuredly coming. The North Coast needs to do all it can to make this place a dream vacation spot for someone from Alabama or Paris, and one way we can do that is to market not only our majestic redwoods but our mystical marijuana.
After legalization, would the North Coast have as much money as it does now? It is unlikely, but we can cushion the crash. The more we layer the marijuana experience and conflate it with Humboldt and the North Coast, the more the toking tourist will flock to us to get a taste of the marijuana world. But we need to start planning now.
“Preparing for the legalization of marijuana properly will take a long time,” Hamilton says. “I’d like three years. I’d rather have five. God help us if it legalizes this year.”
This article appears in Welcome to Pot City!.
Sorry, but it’s a pipe (snicker) dream. Legalized, commoditized pot will render Humboldt County unimportant to pot.
The concept of terroir is misapplied to Humboldt pot. Napa is a wine producing region because of the combination of climate and soil. The Emerald Triangle is a pot producing region because of a historical accident. Land was cheap in the 70s, facilitating the countercultural urban exodus to points north of the bay area. Pot was in vogue among back-to-the-landers and they needed money to pay for the land. Had the summer of love happened in Austin, the same phenomenon could have happened in the Texas hill country – and the natural environment would have been more conducive to pot growing. Local pot developed its quality because of growers developing their craft, not because of anything unique about the Humboldt County environment. Somebody seeking the best outdoor environment for pot in California would be looking at points south and east.
The true lesson of Amsterdam is that being in a pot growing region is irrelevant to being a destination for pot tourism. Nobody talks about North Sea pot. Vancouver, like Amsterdam, is a pot tourism destination because of social, not natural, climate. What Humboldt offers has nothing to compare with either. If there is a candidate for pot tourism in California it is San Francisco, not Humboldt. It’s a little hard to see from inside the Humboldt bubble, but pot users’ cultural horizons might extend beyond reggae and trying to re-live the 60s.
Yes, this is how we should advertise and want the world to remember the beautiful north coast of California – Weed, not for the giant redwoods, not for the magnificient coastline, not for the historical victorian homes, not for the wonderful artist community, not for the colleges, no not any of those things. We want the world to remember this beautiful area for its Weed.
One thing is for certain – Humboldt County is going to change Big Time! Those who think legalization is not going to happen simply have not studied the issue closely enough. There is simply far too much money at stake for major corporate players at this point.
While this is an interesting picture of what Humboldt County could become it is clearly missing a human element. The people who currently live here will not support it. If they did they would surely have gotten wise to the massive changes already needed for even the Prop 215.
But where are the cannabis cafes? Where are the dozens of dispensaries? Where are the ganja foods production facilities? the pot packaging marketers? the mid-level sales positions? the brokerage houses?
Unless there is a sea change in the culture’s approach there will be a painful transition process that will require a new skills base be created. The only logical resource is tourism. Yet, who wants to come stay in Eureka? What a shithole. I mean look at Petaluma, or Monterey or Mendocino (town). There is a major conflict of protectionists being left with no resources to protect anything. And foolish lumberjacks still wanting to cut down trees for god’s sake. With legalized cannabis comes hemp and then the need for trees is virtually nought.
But who besides me wants to see a luxury 10 story hotel sitting exactly where the PinkHouse was so foolishly placed? Who wants to develop the southern end of route 211 through Shelter Cove and Mattole Road and bring in the traffic from Route 1? Who wants to see upscale eco resorts dotting the hillsides? The easy breezy pot days are coming to an end and we need to get a little more real that just throwing joints at any passerby. Altho, I’d probably stop to take a toke ;)–*
Ten to fifteen years ago it was all about legalizing hemp. A natural resource that is renewable quickly. Where is all the talk now, we seem to have jumped two hurdles in one leap. How can we legalize potent sinsemillia when we haven’t even tried commercially growing hemp. I know they are same thing, not. Today’s pot is even further from hemp then its every been, there is no comparison.
What is going to happen to an entire generation of young adults and some older that have done nothing else but grow pot and sell it. What skills do they have to offer society when their only talents are profitless. I think we will see an increase in crime coming from desperate individuals with no options. The state will release many pot related inmates only to be filled soon after with new real criminals.
Life after pot in this unstable ecomony is scary, I hope everyone has a safety net.
This will never happen. Why would companies bother to truck marijuana down the 101 to real cities when they can grow it out in the Sacramento valley where the infrastructure is already there, or Mexico or a dozen other better locations then Humboldt.
The redwood curtain prevents any real export from taking root in this area, except of course redwood trees.
We better hope it doesn’t become legal because this area is going to become a ghost town.
One thing occurs to me, if they grow a lot of pot in the valley they will have to deal with males or hermies either from commercial hemp growers or careless pot growers. I have some friends who are having pollen trouble already near Chico.
Check out Nimbin in Australia !
Check out Nimbin in Australia !
What about illegal export cash? The california market will collapse but much of Humboldt’s weed goes to other states, I am told. It may be that a knowledge of backcountry state boarder crossing routes may be a Humboldt grower’s best strategy. California will become the 47 other lower states Mexico. Will it still be illegal to grow and possess more than a small amount?
Weedcraft and hempcraft need to be preserved. Humboldt has them, along with a certain mystique. The County should play to the super-premium market, like Napa vintners are all trying to do.
We’re supposed to put the armed, drugged out parasites who don’t pay taxes in charge of the whole county?
One big thing missing from this article is the effect that it is going to have on the consumer. Prices will plummet once the cutthroat medical pot "entreprenuers" get whacked by agribusiness. The artificially high cost of $400/OZ will reach a sustainable price of around $100 or lower; already the prices are dropping. This is due to the fact that the market is saturated because even people who don’t smoke weed are growing it for greed. I won’t miss the Medical Pot poseurs who charge outrageous prices for their product; that is not why people voted in Medical Marijuana in the first place.
I’m glad folks are starting to realize how important the dope growers are to our day to day lives here in Humboldt. I personally don’t smoke herb nor advocate its recreational use, but I do understand that in many ways, it’s the driving force for much of Humboldt’s commerce.
I wonder what ramifications it will have on real state values. I think that with legalization, housing prices will soon fall further in price then they have so far—probably a very good thing for many here who cannot buy a home at the staggering prices they sell for now.
Rental housing prices will likely drop too—this could spell the end for many Humboldt landlords and slumlords alike. Many houses in Humboldt are rented for the sole reason for growing herb, not for shelter.
California farmers could soon grow hemp finally. That could be a huge value that would have positive ramifications (good for farmers, good for land use, good for making clothes, rope, shoes etc).
The mega-agribusiness will kill local herb production. They will have the tools to produce it, dry it, cut it, and certainly market it.
Glad folks are thinking about this. Weed matters and it don’t matter if you like the idea or not.
Has anyone notice the irony yet,
People wanted to grow and make loads of cash, so they grow as much as they can (and help buddies grow as much as they can), which drives down the price and spreads the herb out to more people, who love it because, well, it’s cheap weed, then the customers ask "why is this illegal?", and now enough people like marijuana to vote for legalization.
The money aspect of marijuana might just remove the money aspect FROM marijuana.
I would like to thank all the growers for making the sacrament popular enough with the voters to hopefully allow me to grow my own without the fear of the man.
Are you freaking kidding me?? The community let the Natural History Museum close, an extremely positive influence, and Tony Smithers actually suggest a "MJ museum?!!" Sounds like self-centered indulgence and greed instead of raising intelligent children and having a caring community.
Here’s another sane idea: cut down all the redwoods, poor "koolaid" (all the lovely pesticides used in marijuana productions) over the whole county and get ready to look like Iowa, only with pot plants instead of corn.
Are you freaking kidding me?? The community let the Natural History Museum close, an extremely positive influence, and Tony Smithers actually suggest a "MJ museum?!!" Sounds like self-centered indulgence and greed instead of raising intelligent children and having a caring community.
Here’s another sane idea: cut down all the redwoods, poor "koolaid" (all the lovely pesticides used in marijuana productions) over the whole county and get ready to look like Iowa, only with pot plants instead of corn.
are there not people or individuals that willing to sit and brainstorm? to work together. it seems as we survive best as a community. IDEAS????? What about a central distribution, or multiples, like small business, where club owners or general public, can come and purchase a 30 sack to 4000 sack…or five for that matter…all humboldt tested and approved….as we know not all the erb grown here is amazing..lol…as a place with some of thee best strands avaibable…we have a testing place…wether or not there is any residue left…or the powdery…maybe impose a grading system…triple AAA,AA,A VS BBB,BB,B and so on down to the C grade…then we have food grade etc….where there is a will there is a way…maybe not as individuals can we all keep up the craft…but as a community we certainly can keep smokin and livin…maybe something like the OAkster…with a humboldt spin…the differences between outdoor and indoor…and what it takes to get small nugs vs large nugs…over ripe vs under ripe…although its in books these days…unless you care and have been growing…only then do you understand little tricks of the "trade"…just like some one who snowboards twice a year VS twice a day..We can and will do it…come people…lets band together and make some moves..;) Im down to meet with people who care…to live here
My first summer job in 1980 at age 12,was diggin 3’x3′ holes under Manzanita on(mostly) southwest facing slopes above the Eel River,"over the hill" from potter valley.
This isn’t "Legalization"! Its Corporate Gentrification of an Entire Culture!
To all those living in the Emerald Triangle:You’d better start thinking:
Fishing Industry!Logging Industry!Cottage Industry/Autonomy!Transfer Of Wealth!Corporate Control!Tax Snoops!Property Tax Payments! And,Just,Getting,By!
First of all,there’s Nothing,not one "Word",or "Provision" in the "Legalization" nonsense,Indicating "Competitive Protection" from Corporations!
Also "Missing" in all the salivating for Money going on,is the Moral Certainty,that this "Bill" will basically…make "MEXICO",the "Producer" for American Cannabis Consumption!
Do they "Care" if something is "Trademarked"? Is Labor cheaper? Is Equipment Cheaper? Is Land Cheaper? Will they "Pay Taxes"?
We’re about to witness..the "Perfect Storm",this will devestate the economy of all of Northern California!
Just "Do The Math"!For every dollar lost,you must replace that,in accordance with the..utterly naive "Tourism" argument with a "Body"!Because for every "Drop In Price" we’ll require MORE "Tourists" to make up for the Smaller number that currently are the "Foundation" of the "market"
Folks,this is a Massive "Transfer Of Wealth!" From Northern California–where we’ve toiled,Been harrassed,jailed,fined,had our Property taken–to Los Angeles and Mexico,the Hands Of The Few and worst of all,Corporate America!
If you in ANY WAY make ANY money off of the "industry",then you’d better vote against this!Or say "Good Bye" to "Just Getting By"
This is so,outrageous,so "For All The Wrong Reasons" that its frankly astounding that its even gathered the "Signatures" required..or has ANY support at all!
I’m going to be crying and laughing as Land begins to be Liquidated..because the only way people USED to be able to make their property tax payments was:"November"
To the trimmers,the Grow Store vendors,to every,single Business in Northern California:You’d better vote this down,or its not gonna be pretty.
Another amazing bit of "False Logic",is the "Tax" argument!
First of all:
WHAT taxes? Oh,so every single thing we buy,from a gallon of gas to a pair of shoelaces,umm,"Isn’t Taxed"? So,all that State Sales Tax? what? "Doesn’t Count"? Okay,whatever!
Also–When was the last time that a Tax Increase on a Cottage Industry,was a "Good Thing"?
THIS IS A ‘COTTAGE INDUSTRY’ ABOUT TO BE ‘SOLD OFF TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER! Period! How,do so many of you Not "Get That"?
"Branding"? has anyone LOOKED? How do you KNOW that the Copyrights aren’t ALREADY GONE?
"Legalization"!
What? Its NOT LEGAL NOW?
Prop 215 WORKS!
The Only "Problem" with Prop215..is that the Government,Wealthy Individuals and Corporate America..cannot Control it! Otherwise,it keeps Everyone,who wants to be,"Employed"!
Man..so many seem so..naive..about the ramifications.
The "Groovies"..with the "lets All Get together,man and like,just come up with ideas.."
Then the "Developers" who miss the point entirely, thinking that somehow "Tourism" is going to provide enough "Humans" to replace the loss of the current dollar value!
Then the "Napa" people that think..by some amazing "logic" that the Triangle will be able to "Compete" with Phillp Morris! BTW–Phillip Morris has been buying land for the last 2 months all over California! BIG tracts of land! WAKE UP!
So, WHO will provide the "Financing" for the Commercials? The Marketing? Oh,thats right the Wealthiest 1% getting "In On The Action".
Let me ask those of you who actually believe that this is a "Wine Industry" scenario: How many "Grape Growers" do you KNOW competing with FETZER with Grapes grown in their Back yards? Or Basements? Really? That many? Wow!
Also since WHEN were hordes of city vermin a "GOOD THING"?
The idea it seems to me is UGLY! For its pretty plain that this is "BOOMER FAME SICKNESS"! They WANT the "Notariety"! They WANT IT! They WANT to be "BIG SHOTS" and play the whole "I’m From Humboldt County" name Dropping Trip! I’ve seen em do it COUNTLESS times!
Nope! Folks! This is a NO-WIN situation for the SMALL GROWER-Aka 85% of them!
This is GREED and Personal Issues! Not "Legalization"!
Finally,to those that Argue the "Legalization" and "Fear of The Man" umm, "Point"! Well, IT IS LEGAL!
Anyone that "Fears" growing a plant, or even a dozen plants in their backyard is full of….
The only people that need "Fear" the Police ARE the Mega-Greedsters.
Gangs in Oakland have begun to grow "Purple"! The Price is DROPPING! the Impact is ALREADY being felt. This "Bill" will, WILL be the END of our CULTURE, or ECONOMY and for many, their very EXISTANCE as they can no longer AFFORD to live in "UNCOMMUTABLE" areas!
Allow me to ask ALL of you living in "Remote Areas": Are you just CHOMPING at the BIT to have to get a "JOB IN TOWN"? What about your annual "Property Taxes"? OR the fact that now you’ll HAVE "STATE TAX STAMP" Bureaucrats coming TO your little piece of NON-CODE HEAVEN to make sure your "PAYING". Then of course there’s the FACT that this ENTIRE SCHEME is "TOWN BASED"! Notice its all "Napa Style" and "Folksy Goods" and "Shopping" and "Tasting Rooms" etc. Yeah RIGHT! Thats REAL good for the Rural Farmer!
The "Groovies", the "Developers" the "Tourism-istas" and the "Name Droppers" are PRESSING HARD to see a WAY of LIFE GENTRIFIED into non-existance!
With Smiles On Their Faces!
Does that smell like "Unity"? Does that say "Community" to YOU? Nope! It say’s "WEALTH", it say’s "CONTROL", it say’s "BUREAUCRACY" and its says’ "END OF A WAY OF LIFE"! And all of that EQUATES to a DIVIDED COMMUNITY full "TOURISTS"! Garsh! Thats so, AWESOME! I just can’t WAIT!
Vomit!
So, let’s keep it illegal just so you can keep making money by growing and selling weed instead of getting a "JOB IN TOWN"?
Maybe you need to get over your "fear" of work, or move to one of the other 49 states where marijuana is will still be illegal.
You had a good run, but face it, it is going to be over soon. Marijuana should never have been illegal in the first place, right?
btw – 215 is suppose to be for legitimate medical needs only, if lying to your doctor to get oxycodone is wrong then how is lying to your doctor to get marijuana an example of how 215 works?
—-Dr. Ken Miller worries that legalization could lead to more young people consuming cannabis. He feels that marijuana’s illegality is a "gatekeeper standing in the way to keep it from being marketed to the youth." —-
Dr. Miller’s reason for keeping marijuana not legal is disappointing but, perhaps, not surprising. Authoritarianism does not make for good government or a good society. Control does not strike the root.
When people know how to think, they can make good decisions where there is opportunity to do so. Binge drinking is symptomatic of the government as parent, authoritarian model, not to mention a dysfunctional culture.
Keeping marijuana illegal will not prevent binge drinking, prescription drug misuse, or other problems such as huffing, or the “choking game” (no corporation or illegal device involved). If you really care about youth, about people, in general, then you would not support a drug war policy that has contributed to America having the highest incarceration rate in the world at no net decrease in substance misuse, in fact, greater problems because of the prohibition factor. Studies on tobacco show that the more education a person has the less likely that person will be a regular consumer of tobacco. Seems a more superior model to follow, don’t you think. Studies also show that youth who believe they have opportunities in their future are more inclined to make better decisions. Young people who are without hope or a clear picture of their future will always be vulnerable, laws or no laws.
As an older person, I do not need government’s permission to consume cannabis, nor do I want government monitoring my consumption in the form of a prescription. Just give me truthful, accurate info about the product, and I can make my own decisions.
Incidentally, as a young person, marijuana was much easier to obtain than alcohol, so it is hard to appreciate any argument supporting maintaining the status quo in terms of protecting young people. As far as corporations go, we have home brews, micro brews and we have corporations. Please don’t continue to support a police economy that has trashed civil liberties while diverting precious dollars from education to law enforcement and prisons in the name of preventing corporate control.
Is Dr. Miller suggesting that government control over decision making is not as bad as corporate influence over decision making? How about getting our culture to think and care about facts, then, maybe, manipulation by government, corporations, or other special interests (like medical marijuana profiteers) might be placed in proper perspective.
Good luck with that. Did you know that hydro stores are all over Southern California now? No one will drive or "fly" in to smoke your strains when we can grow them at home right here in Southern California.
The adjustment will be real. Many of you will have to do the things you have been saying you do for years: farmer, artist, musician, and make money that way. The $$ in herb will be much less. Once it is legal, we will be growing trees in our back yards.
It’s a dream come true. Remember when and why you started doing what you are doing…because you wanted it to be legal.
Here is the problem, NO ONE IS DOING ANYTHING TO STOP IT! I work for three major radio stations in San Francisco and they are already running ads for the benefits of legalization and why it is a great choice for Californians.
See: http://www.taxcannabis.org/
There is no one anywhere countering this initiative! As long as their campaign is funded by corporations and people actually thinking they are doing a good thing for the state’s economy – it will pass, and it will happen this year.
If people really cared about the economy of Humboldt, Trinity and Mendo – why is there nothing to create resistance for this initiative? No counter argument other than a lot of out spoken people with no clear goal to STOP THIS TAX!
People are worrying about what is going to happen to the Green Triangle in the next few years, but what are we doing to protect it now? NOTHING.
So while people in Oakland continue to raise funds for this ad and play it all the way from San Diego to the Bay, do you think they care about the local Humboldt economy? You think they care about the small business owners? the schools? the families? the livelihoods?
Well, my friends you are clearly mistaken if you answered yes.
We need a player to start fighting back! I would be more than happy to get any message on the air! I will even produce the commercial for free!
Email me and lets start a counter campaign! stopthecannabistax@gmail.com
The fact is, if we continue to just talk about it – time will come and go and the initiative will pass and a culture and an economy will be lost. undoubtedly.
the only culture and economy that will be lost is the criminal one.
any tax will apply only to buyers and sellers, not the general public.
if a marijuana buyer wants to avoid the tax then they can grow their own, if a marijuana seller wants to avoid the tax well tough shit, people in this society pay taxes on income earned. fight that as a separate issue and grow up.
I heard, from a reliable source close to people who are in with the people leading the legalization effort that RJ Reynolds just bought 500 acres in Potter Valley. I’m chalking up to rumor at this point unless I see it published somewhere but has anybody else heard about this? Could it be true?
China is currently outpacing the US in development of pot infrastructure. The new Shanghai/Hong Kong pot pipeline network will deliver over 80 million barrels of superheated kief slurry per minute to international markets. We can’t hope to compete unless the federal government embarks upon a national pot infrastructure building campaign to rival that of the interstate highway system in the 1950s. We need to seed a pottech supercluster through research incentives and make Potter Valley the Silicon Valley of pot. We need to market bundled pot derivatives to international securities markets, and tie a North American unified currency to a pot standard. We need to start slant-drilling for hard-to-reach pot-shale deposits at the bottom of the North Sea, and most of all, we need a geosynchronous space elevator to fuel warp drive systems and open new pot markets in Alpha Centauri.
I agree with the comment of the ambiance of Humbolt county. The hills, attitude of the people and soil makes for perfect growing climate. The development of a legal pot infrastructure will make growing in Humbolt county accessable to others in the south and other parts of the US. My wife and I had a medical supply business before the down turn. I traveled all over. Believe me pot is not the same in other places or states. I only wish I could with gov. approval be a traveling sales person for Humbolt County.
the problem with all this is the fact that soon kids will find put out pot ciggeretts at mall ashtrays and have access to it.california is going to sell out its youth to cover its debt.wake up people.this is the end of an era.now wether you want it or not your /our children will b exposed to dope.at every age.if you think 21 and up will keep a lid on it your fooling yourself. vote no an save our next generation because they are the ones who will be running this mess we are about to create .good luck people.
the problem with all this is the fact that soon kids will find put out pot ciggeretts at mall ashtrays and have access to it.california is going to sell out its youth to cover its debt.wake up people.this is the end of an era.now wether you want it or not your /our children will b exposed to dope.at every age.if you think 21 and up will keep a lid on it your fooling yourself. vote no an save our next generation because they are the ones who will be running this mess we are about to create .good luck people.
I think legalization is a good thing. i have been a cannabis user for many years. of course a lot of people are worried about price drop, but price drop has already happened. it is as bad as it will get right now. 1500 or less a #.
i think that once legal all the jerks trying to control the buying scene are the ones that will be hit the hardest. they are not locals anyway!
The small grower who still puts all their love into growing their medicine properly will have more venues to sell their product, which will stamp out the illegal buyers and their low low low fixed prices. People will not have to settle for nearly nothing because it is the only sale they will see for six months. Thank god!
Ireally hope it becomes legal for it is good medicine specifically for stress. if we all are a little less stressed about what we have in our pockets for our own use all the better.
as for the butts in ashtrays and children using cannabis… it seems to me that cannabis is a much healthier alternative to tobacco. Im not saying children should use it but it is far better than the already very available GMO tobacco which is proven to cause many many serious lifelong physical ailments including heart problems and cancer. cannabis has proven to reduce the risk of most of these ailments, and has not been linked to any harmful or permanent side affects.
Also anybody ever think of the term export???? Hash is one of the worlds largest money makers!
LEGALIZE IT. NO MORE LAWS ABOUT GROWING PLANTS.
A NO vote is a vote to put all your friends that smoke MJ in jail.
May the Gods that my people swear by smite you if you vote no to protect your income at the expense of freedom.
I can see it now. In fact, really, I CAN see it now. I’m near Tehama county where they have given the large ranches the right to grow much more than a resident. In fact, some residences can’t grow at all, based on a 1000 foot “buffer zone” and after this part was voted in, another “registration fee” system voted in, and a “hemp festival law” voted in, ect ect The conservative small goverment folks rubbing their hands in glee as they expand governance. Ranch land is now more valuable than ever.
. I quote:
Cannabis limits
A proposed medical marijuana ordinance crafted by Tehama County calls for limits on the number of plants that can be grown. The draft can be found online by clicking on “Current issues” at http://www.co.tehama.ca.us. Under the rules, cultivation of more than the following number of plants, indoor or outdoor, would be considered a public nuisance:
Twenty acres or fewer, no more than 12 mature plants or 24 immature plants.
Greater than 20 acres but fewer than 160 acres, no more than 30 mature plants or 60 immature plants.
One hundred sixty acres or greater, a maximum of 99 plants regardless of size.
The amazing thing about Humboldt and Mendocino Counties is the fact that most producers are using green practices, and they have been at it for years and years. Growing the stuff is not as easy as you may think. I have a friend who is constantly babysitting the plants, watching the leaves, tending to the details, he never goes anywhere for fear of being robbed, or having his plants ruined.
Itis the criminals in the hill. who are the bad guys,and along with the indoor growers, they are generating the harm to the enviroment (not to mention promoting “indoor Marijuana,” which is full of dyes, toxins, worse drugs for all you can tell from the slop they put out. Anything to turn a buck).
Many of the producers grow for their own uses. The weed at clubs is priced outrageously, and often when purchase from a common outlaw-the weed is unfit for use. Granted the producers are addicted to the stuff, it’s a mild drug in the same category as tobacco, alchohol, and caffeine.
Many Seniors are becoming users late because of the calming, pain killing affects. It helps them to sleep, and enjoy something new when the light of life is going dim.
Marijuana has a place in the medicine.
Remember before prop. 215 when nobody cared about any of this bullshit?
Wow! So much fear, so much ignorance; so many rumors about Big Tobacco.
The rumors are true, the ignorance is commonplace, and the fear is paramount amongst the “negative types”.
Get the fuck over it………….ALL.
Get organized, get ready to claim your piece of the new soon to be legal Cannabis Gold Rush.
my father and business partners want to begin a grow operation. we are seeking contact information for Eric Sligh. facebook, email, or call- 314-313-3616 – Mark McInerney. this a serious inquiry –