Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – A mapped hemp farming zone includes 6,000 acres of the greater Arcata area but it’s now off the table as county supervisors are focusing on smaller-scale medicinal hemp production. The ongoing debate on how to regulate hemp continued at the Nov. 19 Board of Supervisors meeting. Up for…
Sheriff Honsal: cannabis enforcement is ‘a win’
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Humboldt County Sheriff Billy Honsal has told the Board of Supervisors that enforcement on illegal, unpermitted cannabis grows intensified this year and the near future will see actions on those who’ve applied for permits without follow-up. At their October 22 meeting, supervisors were updated on the county’s enforcement…
Planning Commission: Ban hemp, totally
Cannabis farmers fear genetic dilution from cross-pollination Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Described as a menace to Humboldt County’s prized cannabis crops, industrial hemp will be totally banned if the advice of the Planning Commission is followed. In an Oct. 17 public hearing, the commission voted to recommend banning not only cultivation of…
How cannabis businesses powered through the blackout
Steve Robles Mad River Union ARCATA – As Arcata’s citizenry held emergency barbecues to use food before it spoiled, in the city’s Cannabis Innovation Zone, businesses struggled to keep thousands of dollars of inventory from doing the same. Most of the companies in that zone offer trimming and extraction services, both of which are time-sensitive,…
CBD campaigners collect sigs
MAKING CHANGE Coco Maki and Pepper Hernandez were busy building support last week for allowing CBD- and THC-infused foods and drinks for consumption with education on the Plaza and in Humboldt County. The cannabinized edibles are not presently regulated by the health department. “We want to make it possible for permitted people to cook with…
County planners warned about industrial hemp
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Hearing opposition to allowing industrial hemp production, Humboldt County’s Planning Commission appears poised to recommend extending a temporary ban on it. Potential risks to the cannabis industry were highlighted as the commission held a workshop on hemp production at its Oct. 3 meeting. The 2018 federal farm bill…
IN THE CIZ: Distilling innovation at Bear Extraction House
Steve Robles Mad River Union CANNABIS INNOVATION ZONE – While some cannabis businesses are dipping their toes into the pool of vertical integration, Bear Extraction House is giving the concept a singular twist. Bear is a kind of flagship in zone 1 of Arcata’s Cannabis Innovation Zone. In addition to its own extraction operation, Bear…
Madrone questions HCSO cannabis raids
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – The conduct of the county’s Sheriff’s Office in carrying out cannabis law enforcement became a focus of discussion as county supervisors were updated on permitting and abatement. Cannabis issues dominated the September 10 Board of Supervisors meeting. Early in the meeting, during an open public comment session, what…
Steve Madrone: Carrots and sticks must guide the cannabis industry to compliance
Concerns were expressed by speakers at the Sept. 10 Board of Supervisors meeting and members of the public about recent Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office raids and the extreme costs and long timelines to get grows permitted. The economy of Humboldt has taken a big hit with the onset of Cannabis regulation, as evidenced by a…
Zoning change by Supes opens up large timberland parcels to cannabis production
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – County supervisors have deferred action on controversial General Plan rezoning items but a new timberland zoning designation has been approved with a focus on larger parcels. That will allow what planning staff recommended against – opening up smaller and mid-sized timberland parcels to cannabis grows. Under the pressure…