Santa Barbara Pot Farmers Could Lose Acreage Under Proposed Plan

Santa Barbara County supervisors could soon remove acreage allotments from licensed cannabis cultivators if they fail to farm the land by their third license renewal. The controversial proposal was approved by a majority of the board and will come back for final approval on November 29. If passed, it will take effect after 30 days.

Local growers are opposed to the plan. A number of cultivators have been forced to forgo farming due to plummeting wholesale prices. In many cases, the cost of cultivation exceeds the price a farmer would get for wholesale flower.

The rule change does allow for fallowing up to eight months and every three years. But the entire allotment must be cultivated first.

Santa Barbara County approved a 1,575-acre cultivation cap in 2019 after numerous squabbles with local governments and residents over odors, blight, and environmental issues. It hit the maximum in 2020.

Read more about the potential rule change at Marijuana Business Daily.