My last day in Humboldt was spent on a farm where a group of people who have medical marijuana cards under the compassionate care law live and grow their medicine. Up until June of this year, in Humboldt County, under guidelines set by the county, 215-ers–so called because of Proposition 215, the medical marijuana bill–could grow 99 plants or less in a 100 square foot area.

The guidelines were developed in response to Senate Bill 420, which set  limitations on the amount of marijuana a patient could possess, and allowed counties to create their own ordinances with different limits.

Then in July of this year, things changed when California Supreme Court ruled earlier this year in the People v. Kelly that S.B. 420 was unconstitutional, as it placed limits on a voter-passed initiative.

The city of Arcata has its own ordinances in place–created in response to residential grow houses which are often for profit and exceed the original county limits. Arcata’s indoor grows are limited to spaces 50 feet wide and 10 feet in height.

So now outside of Arcata, things are in a gray area. One outdoor farmer I spoke with had plowed under a field after spotting a fixed wing aircraft since he was in excess of the old Humboldt ordinances and didn’t want to run the risk with the new lack of law confusion, though he did admit that it could have just been a pleasure flight, not law enforcement. But caution is a watchword up here and there is no point in drawing unwanted attention.
The 215 collective I visited is an outdoor farm, where the residents also grow fruits and vegetables. A copy of the doctor’s recommendation was attached at the entrance of each grow area, and each patient’s area had plants in pots

See it’s a real pot farm

joked the grower, fertilized with various nutrients and treated with organic fungicides, a very different from another grow spot I visited where chicken manure and bone meal were the sole nutrients and the plants went directly into the ground. The plants were behind a simple fence, ringed with trees, and a “hot wire” fueled by solar generated electricity was in place to keep anything/one out.

The potted plants had already been sexed and were starting to produce small buds, and several varieties were represented. All were grown from clones/cuttings. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there is some breeding going on, but for growing, cuttings/clones are the wave of now and the future.

After a tour of farm we picked berries made dinner some of the produce from the farm itself, while the rest was locally grown.

Legalization wouldn’t negatively impact these folks, in that they grow for themselves. Granted there would be peace of mind that the amount they are growing is legal and not is some weird legislative limbo. No more fears of fixed wing aircraft.

Or thefts. But more on that later…