Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
The California wildfires have left numerous marijuana farmers wondering how they will recover without the help of federal aid.
At least 34 cannabis farms in northern California were either partially damaged or completely destroyed in the blazes and unlike wine and agriculture farms, marijuana growers don't qualify for loans or federal aid because the drug is still illegal on the federal level, CNN Money reports.
The state is preparing to legalize marijuana on Jan. 1, but some businesses are not likely to be able to open by that date.
"We might be facing a much smaller harvest than we were anticipating, which could potentially drive the price up" a spokesman for the California Cannabis Industry Association told the Washington Post. "We still don't know how much has survived, how much has been lost."
To help offset the cost of saving farms Hezekiah Allen, the executive director of the California Growers Association, launched a YouCaring page hoping to raise $25,000.
Allen told CNN Money that more than $13,000 had been donated before the page was shut down. The money is being refunded to people who donated.
YouCaring said its payment providers, WePay and PayPal, are not permitted to accept funds being used for marijuana-related purposes.
"Our payment providers are unable to process payments connected to the production or sale of cannabis, even in situations where such payments would be permitted under State Law," YouCaring's Camelia Gendreau said.
Farmers are now left to come up with the funds on their own.
"I'm not going to sit here in my burnt-down house and cry about it," Ashley Oldham, the owner of Frost Flower Farms, told Rolling Stone.
Oldham's farm wasn't completely destroyed by the fires, but she said she's worried how the ash will affect her product.
"The only thing I can do is keep my chin up and put one foot in front of the other," she said. "This will be like starting over but I think with the support of my community, I can pull it off."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Wildfires destroy 34 cannabis farms in California - NY Daily News
Author: Minyvonne Burke
Contact: Contact Us - NY Daily News
Photo Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez
Website: Breaking News, World News, US and Local News - NY Daily News
At least 34 cannabis farms in northern California were either partially damaged or completely destroyed in the blazes and unlike wine and agriculture farms, marijuana growers don't qualify for loans or federal aid because the drug is still illegal on the federal level, CNN Money reports.
The state is preparing to legalize marijuana on Jan. 1, but some businesses are not likely to be able to open by that date.
"We might be facing a much smaller harvest than we were anticipating, which could potentially drive the price up" a spokesman for the California Cannabis Industry Association told the Washington Post. "We still don't know how much has survived, how much has been lost."
To help offset the cost of saving farms Hezekiah Allen, the executive director of the California Growers Association, launched a YouCaring page hoping to raise $25,000.
Allen told CNN Money that more than $13,000 had been donated before the page was shut down. The money is being refunded to people who donated.
YouCaring said its payment providers, WePay and PayPal, are not permitted to accept funds being used for marijuana-related purposes.
"Our payment providers are unable to process payments connected to the production or sale of cannabis, even in situations where such payments would be permitted under State Law," YouCaring's Camelia Gendreau said.
Farmers are now left to come up with the funds on their own.
"I'm not going to sit here in my burnt-down house and cry about it," Ashley Oldham, the owner of Frost Flower Farms, told Rolling Stone.
Oldham's farm wasn't completely destroyed by the fires, but she said she's worried how the ash will affect her product.
"The only thing I can do is keep my chin up and put one foot in front of the other," she said. "This will be like starting over but I think with the support of my community, I can pull it off."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Wildfires destroy 34 cannabis farms in California - NY Daily News
Author: Minyvonne Burke
Contact: Contact Us - NY Daily News
Photo Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez
Website: Breaking News, World News, US and Local News - NY Daily News