Tag archives: cannabis industry
Does your heart break for the children? Well, my heart breaks for ALL of them, including those who are exploited by a soulless industry that our county coddles, controls and licenses. America recently learned what those of us in the cannabis-know already knew: this industry preys on the most vulnerable, those who have no voice […]
Recently, our 2024-25 Grand Jury confirmed what I have long suspected – our cannabis program is shockingly unprofitable! Over five years the program posted $15M in losses by rewarding 30 or so cannabis growers with a hugely favorable tax scheme while spending lavishly to administer the program. On June 20, the Grand Jury released Cannabis […]
From sufficient tax revenue to operating locations, the cannabis industry has received its share of heat – but no other complaint has been vocalized more than the odor surrounding the industry. Over 2,500 odor complaints have been filed in the past four years. As that number continues to rise, the county is grappling with setting […]
So, the numbers are in for the most recent Quarterly Cannabis Tax Revenue and — like before — they are completely underwhelming and leave us with more questions than answers. Allow me to explain. First a bit of history: Santa Barbara County is the only county that relies solely on self-reported grower revenue to calculate […]
After months of back-and-forth stemming from ongoing concerns over what some claim is a stench of cannabis throughout Carpinteria Valley, the Santa Barbara Coalition of Responsible Cannabis and CARP (Cannabis Association for Responsible Producers) Growers have struck a deal to “resolve odor issues in a proactive and cooperative way” across the valley. According to a […]
On Monday, March 16, Santa Barbara Interim Police Chief Barney Melekian issued a statement responding to a March 12 Los Angeles Magazine article that raised allegations of corruption and undue influence involving Anthony Wagner, the department’s public information officer, who previously helped run the city’s cannabis dispensary licensing process. Melekian’s announcement stated that he was […]
If we’ve learned anything from the “post-truth” era in which we find ourselves, it’s that substantiated facts are critical to productive public discourse. Allegations and aspersions must be legitimately corroborated. This is the only way to emerge into what will hopefully become a post post-truth era. Across our nation there remain countless fires still smoldering […]
