Following months of negotiations, cannabis-industry association CARP Growers (Cannabis Association for Responsible Producers), led by president Autumn Shelton of Autumn Brands, has reached an agreement with the Santa Barbara County Coalition for Responsible Cannabis to jointly address odor issues across the Carpinteria Valley.
Previously, odor-abatement plans have been negotiated with individual cannabis farms, leading to divergent approaches and ongoing resistance on the part of the coalition. The new plan, which applies to more than 20 project sites, such as greenhouses, embraces a broader scale and adopts a more proactive and expansive approach to resolving odor issues associated with cannabis farming. Both CARP Growers and the coalition have signed a statement acknowledging this step as a “comprehensive voluntary upgrade to the County’s odor control program.”
The announcement comes as the coalition has dropped its appeal to block a proposed project involving Autumn Brands and Ocean Hill Farm. The negotiations that led to the agreement began more than a year ago, and both parties feel gratified that, after much discussion, they have been able to land on a mutually acceptable agreement.