Noozhawk, August 20, 2019
Cannabis farms will have to use odor- control systems earlier in the permitting process, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday after years of nuisance complaints from neighbors of marijuana farms. The supervisors also unanimously voted to deny an appeal by Maureen Claffey, with the Concerned Carpinterians community group, of a Carpinteria Valley cannabis farm at 3561 Foothill Road.
Santa Maria Times, August 17, 2019
Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors discussion will be all about cannabis when it meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Santa Barbara.
NPR, August 14, 2019
The UCSB economics study of Santa Barbara County’s cannabis industry suggests the county’s wine is valued at about $120 million, while its cannabis is worth about $180 million, but on a tiny fraction of the land. As the county positions itself to earn significant tax dollars from cannabis, crop farmers, winegrowers and cannabis cultivators are learning to live and work as neighbors .
LA Weekly, August 14, 2019
A new national advocacy organization – the Global Alliance for Cannabis Commerce (GACC)- has launched in Los Angeles to advocate and educate lawmakers on the path towards federal cannabis legalization. Recent estimates suggest a cannabis market worth over $200 billion in the next decade. Without progressive federal legal policy, Americans and Angelenos may not be able to participate nationally in the benefits associated with the eventual ending of prohibition.
Santa Ynez Valley News, August 13, 2019
Three branch libraries won’t have to cut hours or reduce programs after the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to make up deficits in their operating budgets totaling $68,447 by using cannabis tax revenues.
Seven Fifty Daily, August 12, 2019
Citing figures from Colorado, Washington, and Oregon, the first three U.S. states to legalize adult-use (recreational) cannabis, Beck pointed out that wine sales have remained relatively steady since legal marijuana sales began. According to the Distilled Spirits Council, which studied sales of spirits, beer, and wine as it related to cannabis, per capita sales of wine increased 3.2 percent in Colorado and 0.7 percent in Oregon.
Santa Barbara Business News, August 8, 2019
Panelists spoke to a packed crowd of about 100 cannabis industry enthusiasts last week. Autumn Shelton, of Autumn Brands in Carpinteria, said her company has successfully reduced odors that have many Carpinteria residents up in arms. As she called for industry members to fight the “lies and propaganda” put forth by cannabis detractors who believe nothing can be done about cannabis crop odors, she said someday they will go away while other food crop odors will persist.
Marijuana Business Daily, July 25, 2019
Despite setbacks and hurdles, the longtime agricultural community in Santa Barbara embraced the marijuana industry – especially on the cultivation side – and that success has created both snags and promising business opportunities.
Bloomberg, July 17, 2019
American farmers are plowing into the hemp industry in Colorado, Kentucky, Montana, Oregon, and other states. This year, more than 200,000 acres of hemp are licensed to be planted in the U.S., up from roughly 25,000 two years ago. Asia, which has a long history with natural medicines, is also seeing growing interest in cannabis. In 2017, China planted at least 113,000 acres of hemp, according to New Frontier, an industry researcher. Cultivation is also on the rise in Colombia, Greece, Jamaica, and even the southern African nation of Lesotho.
Los Angeles Times, July 15, 2019
Under Section 280E of the IRS code, cannabis businesses are not allowed to take tax deductions on normal business expenses like employee salaries, rent and utility bills because the federal government considers their trade illegal drug trafficking — even where cannabis sales are legal under state law. As a result, the effective federal tax rate for legal cannabis businesses can reach 70% to 90%. No other industry has to operate with this very high tax rate.
Keep cannabis farming accessible to farmers. Write to your supervisor and planning commission and join us at meetings to stop attempts to make cannabis production cost restrictive.
