Humboldt County pot growers worry about legalization

[jaysunb]

As legalization of marijuana grows as a possibility, Northern California enclave where weed culture thrives ponders its future. Would its pot economy wither or does greater opportunity await?

Reporting from Garberville, Calif.
In this region renowned for potent marijuana buds, many in Humboldt County long accepted that legalizing the weed was the right thing to do.

Now some folks aren't so sure.

A statewide initiative in November would allow cities to regulate pot possession and cultivation. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) has proposed a broader legalization. Neither is certain to pass.

Yet as medical marijuana has spread and city and state budgets are being slashed, legalized marijuana is becoming more possible than ever. That has some people here thinking twice.

Wholesale prices have dropped in the last five years -- from $4,000 a pound to below $3,000 for the best cannabis -- as medical-marijuana dispensaries have attracted a slew of new growers statewide, Humboldt growers say.

Recently, "Keep Pot Illegal" bumper stickers have been seen on cars around the county. In chat rooms and on blogs, anonymous writers predict that tobacco companies will crush small farmers and take marijuana production to the Central Valley.

Illegal marijuana "is the government's best agricultural price-support program ever," said Gerald Myers, a retired engineer and former volunteer fire chief who moved to the county in 1970. "If they ever want to help the wheat farmers, make wheat illegal."

On the other hand, increased demand for legal pot might buoy its price.

Then there is the Napa Valley model, where vintners thrive by focusing on premium wines, branding and wine tourism. Appellation -- the branding of the Humboldt name like Champagne or Bordeaux -- is a route people here find promising.

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[mike_c]

1. I smoke Humboldt product every day....

I guess that makes me a connoisseur! :rofl:

BTW, don't be fooled by that skanky Mendo mulch. I think they spray it with TangleFoot or something to make the buds sticky.... If it's 4:20, it's GOT to be Humboldt. (Cue music and happy Humboldt stoners in designer clothes and expensive cars.)

[jaysunb]

3. Me too, but

I sometimes have to visit several dispensaries to insure Humbolt product, although I have found some lesser branded strains pretty good.

I think the idea that the Humbolt county brand WILL be the gold standard for many years to come.

[Canuckistanian]

2. There's no WAY I'd be buying from a tobacco company

I'd find the local grower who KNOWS about the proper way to grow, take care of and harvest my weed.

[tridim]

4. Anyone with skill will be able to make a good living in the legal growing biz.

Humboldt needs to quit whining and adapt.

[HillbillyBob]

5. I live in rural NC on a plot that used to be a tobacco field

We grew some organic tobacco last year as an experiment, it did pretty well.
We get good tomatoes and peppers..MJ takes a similar soil does it not? Plus we have wineries nearby..this could be another crop and tasting site...mmm could certainly use the income too I need a new roof.
I have not checked lately, but there is a push for medical MJ in NC, being HIV/AIDS patient I would welcome it for nausea and pain relief.

[eridani]

6. Yessiree Bob! Diversity is the key to successful small scale agriculture

:evilgrin:

[jaysunb]

7. good luck

gonna be hard to replace all those moonshine stills, but ours is the healthier cause.

[RadiationTherapy]

8. Yeah, well, millions of people who smoke worry about prison.

[Heywood J]

9. I'm sorry, but this is little different from tobacco companies.

Passing the ills (in this case, legal) down to the consumer of your product so you can keep prices artificially high? Obviously it's already become big, faceless business.

If all your customers are incarcerated, who will buy your product?