What a distinction a 12 months makes.
Final 12 months, reacting to a bone-headed try by the County (apart from Supervisor John Haschak) to broaden marijuana manufacturing by an across-the-board 10 p.c, growers broke all information to be broke within the historical past of the native pot business.
This notable feat was achieved within the wake of the North Coast Regional Water Board issuing an investigative order that discovered that our space was already “inundated” with with weed ensuing within the ongoing destruction of watersheds.
As I’ve at all times stated, you may’t develop weed with out water, so the 2021 sky-high overproduction resulted in additional depletion of water provides through the second 12 months of declared drought emergency orders.
Whereas final 12 months ended with the exit of many of the outdoors large monied pot companies, it additionally triggered the present financial disaster of long-established native companies, particularly these within the unincorporated areas of this county. Virtually all small companies are hurting, some worse than others as suppliers and distributors demand money on supply. The true property market is flooded with properties and properties deserted by individuals who have minimize a path to elements unknown. Newapapers are filled with authorized notices promoting gross sales on mortgage defaults.
Regardless that everybody — growers, non-growers, companies, and native governments — have traditionally benefitted from “pot {dollars},” nobody appears to know or has any concepts about what to do about this mess we now discover ourselves in.
Mockingly, the Board of Supervisors have been holding conferences not too long ago the place they’re trying to disburse hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in state grants to a number of hundred of us who signed up practically six years in the past underneath the failed hashish ordinance that over 90 p.c of growers have averted just like the plague. These monies are to help growers in complying with environmental overview and different useful resource laws, in addition to an “fairness” program for individuals who “suffered” from the “Conflict On Medication.”
Once more, satirically, it was the enforcement of prohibition weed legal guidelines that resulted in pot netting 1000’s of {dollars} per pound. Most growers checked out it as simply one of many dangers of doing enterprise. It was referred to as one the best value help methods ever created.
Many argue now that these have been the great previous days while you had a system that really labored: growers made cash, legislation enforcement made cash, authorities made cash, and native economies have been stimulated..
After which all of it got here to an finish with legalization.
I at all times warned of us, watch out of what you want for as a result of with legalization comes regulation and the whole lot that goes with it.
Anyway, someone who has some ideas on our present dillemma is Sheriff Matt Kendall, who wrote a chunk on the continuing chaos surrounding pot.
Right here’s some excerpt’s from what Kendall needed to say.
Just lately I learn an article, by which a press launch accomplished by Legal professional Basic’s Workplace was quoted. I don’t understand how many individuals in Mendocino County learn this text nevertheless I discovered it to be a little bit insulting. This text gave the impression to be declaring the legalization of marijuana a hit in California. Sadly, as I learn the article and realized, Sacramento should be a good distance from Mendocino County. I started to marvel if the coverage makers really perceive what’s occurring in rural California. It’s not that they haven’t been advised but it appears they most likely aren’t listening. Clearly the roll out of legalized marijuana has been a a lot completely different expertise for these of us residing within the emerald triangle.
Studying this press launch made me notice these of us who’ve seen our county at a time previous to legalization and at a time following it, have a a lot completely different view of what has occurred right here. I can inform you, as a rural sheriff I really feel as if the coverage makers got here to our county, hit it with a wrecking ball then started praising themselves for providing us a brush to wash up the mess.
The article said, “California has the most important protected, authorized and controlled hashish market on the earth, however sadly unlawful and unlicensed grows proceed to proliferate.” I’ve not seen a protected, authorized, or regulated market in Mendocino County. I doubt the households of the murder victims murdered in develop websites over the previous few years would agree with this assertion. I additionally doubt the authorized cultivators, lots of whom have poured their life financial savings right into a failing system would agree both.
In 2020 I, together with different Northern California Sheriffs, met in Trinity County with members of the state’s marijuana coverage workforce. Throughout this assembly we requested a number of questions together with, what are the plans for enforcement in opposition to drug trafficking organizations in addition to how would they cope with the marijuana being diverted to the black market and shipped out of state. We additionally introduced up the struggles of discovering personnel and requested who could be dealing with the enforcement of the large wave of unlawful marijuana which all of us knew was coming …
We requested if they’d a goal variety of product manufacturing which might provide the wants of authorized marijuana throughout the state. We identified the truth that producing past market saturation would trigger diversions to the black market. The black market would have a damaging influence on authorized farms and because the costs drop, the violence, environmental impacts and injury to the authorized farms would proceed and escalate. If the black market isn’t handled all authorized markets will fail …
Homicides, robberies, and environmental destruction have develop into the brand new regular for rural communities. We had two rolling shootouts within the Ukiah and Willits space on freeway 101 this 12 months. Drug Trafficking Organizations should not one trick ponies. As soon as they’ve established a footing in our rural areas, they carry fentanyl and different laborious medication in addition to human trafficking, violence, and intimidation. We’re seeing this stuff happen and proceed to happen in our county. We merely can’t have this in Mendocino County. … Sadly, the CAMP (Marketing campaign Towards Marijuana Planting) program is a shadow of what it as soon as was, we solely obtained 7 days of help from them this 12 months. The issue isn’t with boots on the bottom, it’s the insurance policies which have restrained us from making true impacts … Little to no enforcement on the unlawful market has created the right storm for our communities.
We want the state coverage makers to step up and supply extra personnel for enforcement, additionally we want them to vary the flawed insurance policies which have introduced these issues to our communities … With out modifications in insurance policies these points will proceed. Attain out to our state leaders and legislators, allow them to know now we have an issue and collectively we will come collectively to discover a answer.
Jim Shields is the Mendocino County Observer’s editor and writer, observer@pacific.internet, the long-time district supervisor of the Laytonville County Water District, and can be chairman of the Laytonville Space Municipal Advisory Council. Take heed to his radio program “This and That” each Saturday at midday on KPFN 105.1 FM, additionally streamed dwell: http://www.kpfn.org