California’s Legal Cannabis Harvest Threatened by Wildfire

October 11,2017 California

Cannabis has long been a victim of politics, and just when all that gets put aside, wildfires come to destroy it all. California has recently had its first ever harvest of cannabis which was badly burnt down by a wildfire. To make matters worse, the winds assisted as fuel or the fire ravaging North California and killing around eleven people.

The fire destroyed a staggering 1,500 structures in addition to thousands of trees. It also damaged more than 120,000 acres of land and made 30,000 flee their homes to save their lives. Marijuana growers in the north of San Francisco had also faced evacuation orders. Overall, the state’s first cannabis crop has just ad a crop damage potentially worth tens of millions of dollars.

According to local reports, there have been around 9,000 cannabis grows that have been affected in the Sonoma County. Of all the cities hit by the firestorm, Santa Rosa is said to have faced the worst bit of damage. This wine-producing town has been leveled by the raging fire. The shelters in Sonoma County have already been filled by the growing number of people fleeing their homes.

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Investigations as to how the firestorm began are still underway. As of now, it is being believed that Diablo winds—a weather phenomenon—is what’s caused the disastrous fire. The CGA—California Growers Association—has reported that around one-third of the leaders were on their own for the evacuation. Many were also helping their neighbors to escape the dreadful scenes.

Hezekiah Allen—the executive director of CGA—said that the overall property damage is expected to be quite high. The numbers emerging, he said, are extremely stunning. The manufacturers of cannabis, dispensaries, and other representatives are all very concerned about their businesses. Many are worried they may even have to close down.

The wildfire has and can further have a massive effect on the legal cannabis. Farmers said that the crops that somehow remain will be damaged by the smoke’s smell. Consumers wouldn’t want to buy cannabis with the hints of smoke in it.

On a whole, California manages to grow cannabis of approximately 13 million pounds annually. Four out of every five pounds of cannabis are shipped to other states from here. The harvested crops are not only vulnerable to smoke, but can also catch diseases resulting in fungus or mold. This will pose potential risks to the health of MMJ consumers.

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As if the damage isn’t enough to cripple the state’s cannabis industry, the Office of Cannabis Control in California is determined to create tougher laws for the adult-use and medical cannabis markets. In short, the cannabis that reaches the market will have gone through rigorous quality tests. This is a major matter of concern for the cannabis-related business. Everyone is rightly afraid that the outdoor-cultivated cannabis in California may not be able to pass those tests now.

The outlook of the total wildfire disaster looks pretty grim, at least for the year.

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