“I bought the farm for my horses, but within five weeks, I was in the hospital,” says Sara Rotman. “That is what started this whole odyssey.”
After being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2014 and told by doctors that they couldn’t alleviate her debilitating pain, Rotman tried cannabis. This led her to begin cultivating the plant on that property and diversifying the farm with her husband, Nate Ryan. She’s also developed the recreational cannabis brands Bluebird805 and, coming this spring, Wellfounded Botanicals, while also selling her crops to some of California’s leading cannabis companies.
Located in Buellton, Rotman believes her farm, which is called Busy Bee’s Organics, has become a place of healing. “We know it works, but we couldn’t get reliable supply,” Rotman explains of what turned her into a cannabis farmer. “Dosing was inconsistent, even from a medical dispensary. It was unreliable what you were getting. I’m a big proponent of regulation in the industry.”