My name is Graham Farrar, and I am a cannabis farmer in Carpinteria Valley. Being part of this community is a privilege that I and my team take seriously every day. I grew up in Goleta, and I was an early founding member in Sonos. I’m also a local dad of two young kids. I want to take a moment to set the record straight on a couple of important issues because doing cannabis right is a big deal to us.
Cannabis is the most highly regulated agricultural crop in our county. Period. As growers, we have to secure both local and state licenses and permits and comply with an endless list of regulatory agencies, including the California Department of Water Resources; California Department of Fish and Wildlife; California Department of Pesticide Regulation; Bureau of Cannabis Control; California Department of Tax and Fee Administration; and Santa Barbara County Public Health, Fire, Sheriff, Agricultural Commissioner, Community Services Sustainability Division, Public Works, Environmental Health, and Planning and Development. I can tell you firsthand that securing the signoffs needed from these agencies will take us years. Only those who are truly committed to doing cannabis right long-term will make it through the compliance gauntlet. And we support that.
Odor is our top priority. Those of us who are here to stay and committed to being good neighbors have already installed the best-available odor-control technology. I can tell you that these vapor phase systems work and do not pose health risks. The county has conducted over 30 enforcement actions this year (which were funded by cannabis tax revenue), including on several farms that did not have effective odor-control systems. The county is continuing to shut down operators who aren’t following the rules, but the county can’t actually require operators to have odor-control technology until they have gone through the permitting process. So it’s in everyone’s best interest to speed this process up.