The Central Coast chapter of Weed for Warriors is sponsoring tasting events to be held in Paso Robles each Saturday in March. Pressure is mounting across the country to give veterans access to medical marijuana for a whole host of symptoms. Participating will be a group of 25 growers from as far away as Humboldt. Graham’s Brand — a well-known, nonprofit collective — might be the best known cultivator to attend. I sat down recently with owner Graham Shaw for a lively, wide-ranging conversation on the industry.
Shaw has 20 years of experience growing, with indoor hydroponics being his specialty. He says that traditional agriculture is already looking closely at getting into cannabis cultivation. He wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of wineries devote a portion of their property to this endeavor. They already have much of the technical experience, and most importantly they have access to water.
This view was backed up recently at the Montecito Planning Commission meeting on medical marijuana where representatives from CCA (Central Coast Agriculture), a medical marijuana grower, represented that most of the cultivation being done in Santa Barbara County was happening on existing agricultural properties.