Cannabis farmer sees unity against Measure A

A ballot initiative called Measure A will be on the ballot in March and there has been a common theme throughout the life of this initiative and the process behind it: a lack of transparency. This initiative was written without any public input and without any guidance from the people it would affect or the entities that would be responsible for its enforcement. Had the proponents of Measure A consulted with farmers or compliance consultants, they would have been educated about the rigorous compliance requirements to which cannabis farmers are subjected. Cannabis farmers are required to track and report everything from water usage to energy usage, along with everything that is required of any other business. The compliance requirements for this industry far surpass that of any other agricultural industry. I am a compliance consultant and a farmer in Humboldt County. It is disheartening to know that in order to obtain signatures the proponents falsely claimed that this initiative would protect small cannabis farms. This is not the case and the proponents have admitted that this will affect large farms and the small farms they falsely claimed to be protecting. The product produced is poorly written and is wrought with vague language that will inevitably result in litigation from all sides. One positive thing that has come from this ballot initiative is that it has united Humboldt County in opposition to Measure A. The list of entities and organizations opposed to Measure A can be found at: https://www.nohcri.com/our-coalition — Shannon Hughes, Willow Creek