Tuesday night’s meeting at the Mateel Community Center is drawing attention outside of Southern Humboldt.  This morning’s Times Standard had a nice article  by Donna Tam about the local forum concerning the economic repercussions of marijuana legalization.  KMUD talk show host, Anna “Banana” Hamilton  is working to form a coalition of local business people, growers, county officials, etc. to meet what many feel will be the economic disaster that will result when marijuana is legalized.  This article sparked another article in the Chronicle online edition.

Marijuana growing has long been a way of life in Humboldt County, especially in recent years as timber and fishing jobs have disappeared along California’s North Coast.

Now some residents worry that their way of life is being threatened — not by law enforcement, but by efforts to legalize marijuana in the state.

Community members are gathering Tuesday night to consider the consequences. They worry about the ripple effect that a drop in marijuana prices could have on the county as a whole if legalization undermines the black market.

I’m excited to see how interested people are outside the area.  And from what I’m hearing, there is a lot of interest in attending from community members also. I’m looking forward to meeting some of you there.