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Could the Emerald Triangle’s Marijuana business overshadow Napa Valley as one of the foremost tourist venues in California?  An article in the Daily Caller (a Conservative news site), cites Aaron Smith, head of the Marijuana Policy Project based out of Washington, DC, ““[Legalization] will launch the birth of legal multi-billion dollar industry, that some think could one day overshadow the wine business, and make Napa Valley just a side trip on the way to the Emerald Triangle.”

The article goes on to assert that savvy people are already hoarding large tracks of land suitable for marijuana agriculture in the North Coast area.  It quotes a Ferndale Realtor as saying, “With legalization prospects constantly in the news, few land-owners would sell now, which naturally props up land values by diminishing the supply.”

The article then speculates what the future here in Humbuldt will look like. “There will likely emerge a Robert Mondavi of the marijuana business. Agriculture companies will race to build marijuana harvesters, tractors and seeders. New pot-specific fertilizers and pesticides will be sought. [Obviously the author has missed the fertilizers etc. being advertised nearly non-stop in the hydro stores here in Humboldt.] Commercial development catering to hemp outfitters and smoke shops, like those in Amsterdam, will break ground and revitalize infrastructure. Counties will immediately see the benefits of increased tourism, which industry experts expect to surge in the region.”

The future painted after legalization is pretty rosy for Humboldt.