By Jeff Giordano

June 23, 2019, published in the Santa Barbara Press-Reader  This guest opinion references a Los Angeles Times article, “The world’s largest pot farms and how Santa Barbara opened the door”(June 12th).

Since cannabis firm Tilray’s successful IPO, investors have poured capital into marijuana. This Green Rush has allowed investors and businesspeople (so called “growers”) to exploit our county supervisors, who have acted more like partners than impartial representatives for the 400,000 or so other county residents.

Behind closed doors, the Board of Supervisors disregarded our Master Plan’s preference for existing business (among other things) and accelerated the process (CEQA was a joke). This was purposefully done while many of us were either evacuated or engulfed in the worst county disaster in history. Continue reading Opinion from Santa Barbara: Cozy with Cannabis →