Grateful for New Cannabis Ag

Cannabis farming has been a huge boost to my local
business. As a small, local restaurant in Carpinteria, I’ve seen the benefits
of the cannabis industry on our economy first-hand. The cannabis farmers and
their employees visit our restaurant for meals frequently, and the benefits of
this new industry cannot be understated.

UCSB
Economic Forecast Project found that the total economic impact of the cannabis
industry is $458.3 million and has a total impact on employment of 6,012 jobs.
Because this new sector is so highly regulated, the farmers have to expand
their workforce, and contractors, to keep up with regulations. This means
hiring (and feeding!) a lot more people.

These
farmers are also paying high taxes at both the state and local level, which is
bringing in millions of dollars of revenues for critically needed county
services. In fact, they have contributed over $9 million of revenue to the county
so far. This means that the county doesn’t have to rely on revenue from oil
projects, or other development, to fund their programs.