In the late spring of 2015, Gavin Newsom traveled north to Humboldt County to rally support for legalizing cannabis. Pot farmers in the historic cannabis growing region were deeply skeptical of legalization, fearing that big corporations would wipe out their small family farms. Newsom, then a lieutenant governor, came with both a warning and a promise. He confirmed that big money interests were already lobbying in Sacramento, but Newsom said he would stand in their way.
“With respect,” Newsom told a standing-room-only crowd at a Garberville theater, according to the North Coast Journal, “they’re writing a lot of you guys out and we cannot let that happen.” The audience appeared wooed by the savvy politician, and proceeded to take selfies with the rising star. One cannabis advocate told the local newspaper that “I think when they said they’re here to defend small farms I think they meant it.”
Nearly 10 years later, cannabis is legal in California, Newsom got a promotion to governor, and small cannabis farms have been decimated. Legalization has shuttered thousands of pot farms across Northern California, destroying multi-generational cannabis businesses and leaving rural towns boarded up.
Farmers see a trail of broken promises and betrayal from the state government. Few people blame Newsom entirely, but his long involvement in state government when decisions were made that they say hurt the industry have made him the focus of particular ire. That includes a decision seven years ago to allow massive farms in the state and his recent veto of a bill that would give farmers more access to sell their pot.
Newsom, through a spokesperson, declined to be interviewed for this story or answer a list of questions; instead, his office directed SFGATE to the Department of Cannabis Control, which shared a lengthy statement saying, in part, that the state “continues to stand by his early commitment to protect small farms.” The spokesperson pointed to $40 million in grants the state has given to support small farms, the DCC helping farmers get licenses in Mendocino, and Newsom signing a law that eliminated a cultivation tax.
Farmers markets may seem like a small request, but cannabis growers see these types of direct sales as one of the few things that could save the remaining small farms in California. Selling directly to a customer gives more money straight to the cultivator, the same way a produce farmers market or a brew pub helps support those industries.
Unfortunately for the farmers, that’s illegal in California. Currently, cannabis growers are required to sell their pot to distributors and retailers before it gets to customers, reducing profit margins and making it harder for them to tell their story.
