SF Chronicle Talks About ‘The War Over Weed’

Marijuana-garden-large-graded-Feature Humboldt County Sheriff

Marijuana garden raided in 2015. [Photo from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office]

The SF Gate, the Chronicle’s online site, just posted an article today arguing that the “legalization of recreational pot promises to spark a clash between growers and environmentalists.”

Several local folks are interviewed, environmentalist Scott Greacen and Cal Fire Officer Mike Smith. The article is long but explores various possible outcomes of marijuana legalization.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Any serious discussion of marijuana legalization must begin with the acknowledgment of reality: Prohibition is not working.”

Like most thoughtful people, Smith feels Prop. 64 is a simple solution to a very complicated problem. As far as the comparison to the wine industry, his parting words …say it all: “People who drink wine are not the same kind of people who smoke weed.”

Want to read more?
Click here to read the rest of “The War Over Weed.”

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24 Comments
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Mogtx
Guest
7 years ago

No war on weed in Humboldt ,downey let’s the cartels grow as much as they want .

Cheech
Guest
Cheech
7 years ago
Reply to  Mogtx

Yes. And even as licensing is coming on line and becoming a reality, individuals and cartels are still buying up land, pushing hundreds of yards of soil, mowing down trees and wrecking the land, all to stay black market. A major portion of Humboldt’s cannabis growers are staying black market. Now the enforcement will be focused on licensed growers, making sure they stay compliment and the shitbags will still rake in millions of untaxed, unregulated dollars. Gotta love the system!

Steve Fischer
Guest
Steve Fischer
7 years ago

I’ve served as an elected District Attorney in Conservative Texas. Every DA is on a limited budget. We have to make choices. I believe in strict punishment for violent offenders and burglars. I rarely gave probation. Unfortunately we had to deal with all these annoying pot cases. Even when pot users got probation the understaffed probation officers had to make sure they were in by 10PM – I’d rather they checked on sex offenders.

bottlebro
Guest
bottlebro
7 years ago
Reply to  Steve Fischer

Biggest problem with weed in Tex is that its not from here (or Amurica for that matter). I love watching the left self destruct; in-fighting is a very common result. This is because the ideology revolves around entitlement (usually a 4yr b.a.). Without the talent for manufacturing, creating, or building something…… Regulating and controlling is the sole opportunity for the truly inept and talentless to excell. People are MiSSing the 2 points. Legalization is not decriminalization. Our gardens should not be taxed whether pot, persimmons or pineapples.

Honeydew Bridge Chump
Guest
Honeydew Bridge Chump
7 years ago
Reply to  bottlebro

How crazy would it be for some clip board Nazi coming around counting your radish, squash, greens, and fruit on a tree to issue fines for over 100 radish or six melons?

Keeping government numb nuts out of backyard gardens is important. This is a slippery slope allowing them to dictate amounts and what type of produce can be grown.

Ban the bean counters….

OldSchool
Guest
OldSchool
7 years ago

Well, if you happen to be commercial farming of any of the crops you mentioned inspectors and regulators are keeping tract. Both the county and the state ag commissions know how many acres of any given crop are under cultivation each season. I think the authors of our local ordinance, MMRSA and Prop 64 have done a descent job of granting allowances for folks that want to grow their own for personal use.

Do to the nature of the crop itself and the ability of it to be an intoxicant right off the stalk, unlike grapes or hops that need to be processed and altered to become an intoxicant, it lends itself to more stringent oversight.

silverlining
Guest
silverlining
7 years ago
Reply to  bottlebro

What is the old saying about building inspectors?
They are all contractors that went bankrupt.

Honeydew Bridge Chump
Guest
Honeydew Bridge Chump
7 years ago
Reply to  silverlining

That’s right!

Government consists only of those that can’t make it on their own.

Now we’re stuck with more do nothings than real people, and these do nothings will starve unless they eat from our plates.

I’d be too embarrassed to work in government, welfare goes against nature.

Lost Croat Outburst
Guest
Lost Croat Outburst
7 years ago

Yeah, stupid government road crew keeping those Mattole roads open. Shame on them! Stupid government firefighters spending all that time and tax money fighting arsonist fires out in Hoopa and elsewhere all summer. Shame on them! All they had to do was let those fires burn, burn, burn and burn until the October rains came and put ’em out for free. Nah, nah, neener, neener.

Grow all your own food or does some come into the store over public roads? Wow.

Maester Amon
Guest
Maester Amon
7 years ago
Reply to  Steve Fischer

Mendo literally just gave me probation for 24 plants

Just sayin
Guest
Just sayin
7 years ago

A lot of people that like wine also like weed

HumBiologist
Guest
HumBiologist
7 years ago

As far as the comparison to the wine industry, his parting words …say it all: “People who drink wine are not the same kind of people who smoke weed.”

BECAUSE OF PROHIBITION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Richard Finch
Guest
Richard Finch
7 years ago

After the five-year moratorium on industrial-scale grows, large corporations will no doubt invest in the industry. But are they likely to do it in northern California when there is so much flat, arable land already used to grow low-income crops like carrots in the Central Valley? The comparison to the wine industry should recognize that in northern Calif. the wines of recognizable quality are generally grown on small plots that are not practical for large-scale operations. The areas in Calif. that are suitable for such corporate grows are already used for agriculture and dealing with the environmental problems discussed in the article: water and fertilizer use, mechanized cultivation, harvesting, and processing. I don’t see this happening to the small-scale grows in northwest Calif. Proper regulation of both small and large grows is the key to environmental prudence on this issue. I believe that many growers are more concerned about the economic effects of industrial grows than they are about the environmental effects: Corporate production of cannabis will flood the market with product and lower the price–the effect of the simple economic law of supply and demand. The quality wineries of California succeed based on the reputation of their product and command premium prices. Mass-produced Gallo wines from the Central Valley don’t. I foresee much the same situation evolving with northern California cannabis: limited supply and reputation for quality will command premium prices just as in the wine industry.

Dave Kirby
Guest
Dave Kirby
7 years ago
Reply to  Richard Finch

Two things that separate wine and pot. Wine is greatly affected by its “terroir”. That is a combination of a number of elements. Soil and climate are important aspects of terroir. So much of the growing medium around here is handmade due to the poor quality of the “natural” soil that So Hum grown isn’t about the content of local dirt. Nor is the local climate unique. When indoor/greenhouse container grows emerged local terroir didn’t matter anymore. Boutique weed can and will be grown anywhere. The other main difference is that wine production requires substantial capitalization that is not required to get into growing pot. I was talking to several vineyard owners from Napa/Sonoma and they are looking to start growing pot in addition to grapes. they already have much of the needed infrastructure in place. The times they are a changing.

Old Thymer
Guest
Old Thymer
7 years ago
Reply to  Richard Finch

Thanks Richard. ‘From your keyboard to God’s ears’. Your POV gives me hope that the small farmers, who get their shit (and manure) together, CAN thrive against corporate competition. That helps explain why all the big money people are buying into small operations now. They are known to invest wisely. To paraphrase Richard Pryor, ‘the rich guys didn’t get rich bein’ no fools!’.
And to Dave, I believe that the ‘Humboldt’ name (and whatever branding growers do that associates with Humboldt, and the ‘independent, outlaw grower heritage’ image) will carry weight for years to come.

Farce
Guest
Farce
7 years ago
Reply to  Old Thymer

Wish in one hand. Shit in the other.

Emily
Guest
Emily
7 years ago
Reply to  Old Thymer

If ‘the kids’ continue to favor extracts (like oils etc), that can truly be produced *anywhere*. With extreme automation and efficiency. To grow high quality buds, you need the proper conditions and lots of hand care(labor). So what’s the future gonna hold? I see a small market for flowers (farmers market type artisanal products) while the masses will have something along the lines of vape pens. Sorry… I wish it wasn’t so…

Anon Forrest
Guest
Anon Forrest
7 years ago

Wow. So what “kind” of person am I? This is just a re-run of the social bigotry of the building codes. af

Humkid
Guest
Humkid
7 years ago

our climate is special doesn’t grow better anywhere else.except in million dollar greenhouses

tugboat
Guest
7 years ago
Reply to  Humkid

The best place to grow weed is in the high desert with it`s sandy soil and hot days with clear skies and cool nights, sorry to burst your bubble, Humboldt and it`s climate is not the best, and it`s red clay dirt is terrible as a growing medium. Kids like to think that where they live is the best, like your home football team. Ego does not work except in the mind void of truth.
Try growing in a pure sand environment and you will be pleased with the outcome.
You will have to water 3 – 4 times a day but the finished product will be amazing.
Remember; Pot grows wild with no help from humans in the deserts of Afghanistan.

readbetweenthelines
Guest
7 years ago
Reply to  tugboat

Thats a lot of water in the desert and the pot everyone is going is a lot different then native Afgnie.

Emily
Guest
Emily
7 years ago
Reply to  tugboat

I disagree about red clay being a terrible medium. I have very nice plants in native red soil that has been cover cropped and mulched for 20 years or so.

Lost Croat Outburst
Guest
Lost Croat Outburst
7 years ago
Reply to  tugboat

Yeah, stupid government road crew keeping those Mattole roads open. Shame on them! Stupid government firefighters spending all that time and tax money fighting arsonist fires out in Hoopa and elsewhere all summer. Shame on them! All they had to do was let those fires burn, burn, burn and burn until the October rains came and put ’em out for free. Nah, nah, neener, neener.

Grow all your own food or does some come into the store over public roads? Wow.try

Martinman
Guest
Martinman
7 years ago

🎤Yea I get high 🎤with a little hemp🎤 from my friends🎤