Weed Feed: More Than $1 Billion Worth of Cannabis Burns in Northern California Wildfires

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WEED FEED / John Ross Ferrara / Monday, Oct. 16, 2017 @ 9:43 a.m.

Weed Feed: More Than $1 Billion Worth of Cannabis Burns in Northern California Wildfires

Lost Coast Outpost file photo.

With cannabis legalization only months away, California is facing possibly the worst harvest season in years due to the rampant wildfires plaguing Mendocino, Sonoma and Napa Counties.

SF Gate reports that more than $1 billion worth of crops has likely been destroyed.

Executive Director of the California Growers Association Hezekiah Allen told the LA Times last week that the fires in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties have resulted in the worst harvest year on record for California growers.

“The October 2017 firestorm is having an extremely severe impact on our communities,” Allen told the Times. “It is the worst year on record, and the worst year I can remember, in terms of farms lost.”

Allen confirmed that seven pot farms burned last week, but said that number will likely rise significantly as the days go on.

For many growers, the damages are a complete loss. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that because marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, growers aren’t eligible for insurance plans or federal disaster relief.

As of today, the wildfires have killed 40 people and destroyed 5,700 structures.

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The Weed Feed is a weekly column written by John Ross Ferrara.

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