Local Distillery
October 26, 2017
Green Gold Rush
November 10, 2017
Food Chain Radio Show #1126
Michael Olson, Author & Urban Farming Agriculturalist
California’s Cannabis Green Gold Rush: Part I
Guests: David McPhearson, Consultant, HdL Companies; Dave Potter, Former Supervisor, Monterey County
Like gold, cannabis is sold by the gram for a lot of money. But unlike gold, cannabis is easy to find. In fact, the plant can be grown by just about anyone just about anywhere.
Michael Olson Food Chain Radio – Part I California Cannabis Green Gold Rush
When California passed Proposition 64 legalizing – sort of – the recreational use of cannabis, it kicked off the greatest gold rush the state has seen since that other gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in 1849.
Everyone, it seems, is heading to the hills to grow green-gold dollars, leaving local government officials behind to work out the legal details.
And there are a lot of legal details to work out!
First, cannabis is only sort of legal because the federal government still classifies the plant as a Category I narcotic, right up there with heroin. And the feds are still pouring money into the coffers of California’s County Sheriffs to aid them in the destruction of cannabis farms.
Second, the State of California seems to have turned over all the details of its legalization to counties and municipalities, which means counties and municipalities will contend with each other to establish the legal frameworks that can best capture the most green-gold dollars.
The great California Green-Gold Rush of 2018 is shaping up to be a magnificent competition of state versus feds, county versus county, city versus city and of course, grower versus grower.
In Part I of our series, we look at how each contender is getting set up to compete for all those green-gold rush dollars.
Leave a comment below: Can one make a lot of money growing legal– sort of– cannabis in California?
Nationally syndicated Food Chain Radio airs live Saturday mornings 9-10AM Pacific.
