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Refugee Squirrels Wreak Havoc on Cannabis Farmers

Refugee Squirrels Wreak Havoc on Cannabis Farmers

400,000 acres burned in California this year from wildfires. In those fires, squirrels lost their nuts.

Hundreds of thousands of refugee squirrels have made their way up north from Southern California to escape the fires, finding new homes in the many cannabis farms in the area. As funny as it sounds, it’s bad.

What these squirrels do is nothing short of murder…plant murder.

The refugee squirrels problem

While most are happy that the squirrels are safe from danger now, many aren’t so thrilled with where they have taken up. Mainly on cannabis farms.

Climbing on the plants, breaking off branches when they climb, and even chewing on the cannabis plants is making the  refugee squirrels a not-so-welcome guest in the Emerald Triangle. But this is a new problem, with no well-known solution.

This is where the problem comes in. Mites, aphids or other small critters are easy enough to deal with, every grower has to deal with them at some point. But no grower has ever really had to deal with squirrels, let alone so many.

Desperate times

Farmers in NorCal have resorted to pellet guns and small arms in so instances to eradicate the squirrels. There are still too many refugee squirrels to get rid of them all.

Compared to other small rodents growers might have to deal with, the sheer amount of squirrels sent there by the forest fires is too much for most to handle. Some have lost their entire crop to the influx of squirrels.

It’s rough in the Emerald Triangle right now. Nut-starved, weed-hungry squirrels are wreaking havoc on farmers all over, and a lot are still trying to figure out how to deal with them.

Will there be a war? Who knows. Maybe the squirrels will realize they like nugs more than nuts. Let’s hope not.

Hear more on the new episode of The Real Dirt! Part 3 of the Harvest Special addresses the squirrel issue, talks trimming and more.

Humboldt Cannabis in a Crunch

Humboldt Cannabis in a Crunch

Humboldt is known for pumping out some of the best cannabis, feminized seeds and other cannabis products in the world, and has been known in that way since cannabis first started spreading across the country. The fertile lands, the perfect climate, and the farmers who are committed to the plant make Humboldt a unique place in and of itself.

New laws and regulations from the legal industry now may bring a hinderance to this mass-production area. From to licensing limits to outrageous fines for those who don’t comply, the state is not taking it easy on Humboldt county and the rest of the Emerald Triangle.

Humboldt cannabis farms in trouble

There a currently thousands of private market farms in the Emerald Triangle trying to figure out their next move. With barely more than 600 licenses up for grabs, it’s become a competition of luck and money to see who can get regulated in the legal market in time. As all the new legal regulations for California took effect in July, those who are not on top of this are already in trouble.

Those who haven’t gotten licenses or shut down their operations after 30 days of notice can be fined heavily — upwards of $30,000 — just for the initial fine. Those who continue to avoid regulations will be fined additionally for each day after the original 30 days that they do not comply. Suffice to say, a lot of people are going to lose a lot of money.

Humboldt cannabis growers have a long battle ahead of them. Those that do not agree with the new laws can fight it as long as they can, most likely going broke in the process. Those who got a head start already have their licenses, and these farmers are poised to flood the legal market with legal Humboldt cannabis soon enough.

Get on board or get out?

A lot of private Humboldt cannabis farmers will be forced out of the legal market simply due to the high costs. Local, craft farmers won’t be able to front the massive fees to get regulated before getting hit with more fines. This has some worried that only those with the most money will move on, making the legal industry in California pay-to-play.

This is already opening the door for larger companies to come in and buy up land and licenses before smaller businesses get the chance. This power-grab from big players could have negative consequences, most notably a commercialized market with a focus on profit instead of producing a healthful and safe product for the consumer.

Chip lived in Humboldt for years, and has steadily watched and studied the evolving industry in the state of California. Hear what Chip thinks about the current state of things in Humboldt and California on this week’s episode of The Real Dirt!

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California Bans CBD Oil

California Bans CBD Oil

California just banned CBD in food products. What does it mean for patients?

In an unprecedented and shocking decision, California — yes, the same state that just finalized regulations for a legal cannabis industry — has moved to ban CBD oils from being sold as part of any food product. Oddly enough, this memo was released on July 9th, yet there has been no major news coverage until now, halfway through July.

California bans CBD oil

According to the memo, the public health department’s Food and Drug Branch (FDB) “has received numerous inquiries from food processors and retailers who are interested in using industrial hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) oil or CBD products in food since the legalization of medicinal and adult-use marijuana (cannabis) in California.”

The memo continues from there, making clear that the public health department’s Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch (MCSB) “regulates medicinal and adult-use manufactured cannabis products,” while “food products derived from industrial hemp are not covered by MCSB regulations. Instead, these products fall under the jurisdiction of CDPH-FDB.”

cbd banned from food in california

CBD infused coffee products from a store in Los Angeles.

While California has no issue going against Federal Law by legalizing recreational cannabis, which the state has deemed safe for consumption by humans, the state apparently doesn’t want to risk it with CBD:

“Although California currently allows the manufacturing and sales of cannabis products (including edibles), the use of industrial hemp as the source of CBD to be added to food products is prohibited. Until the FDA rules that industrial hemp-derived CBD oil and CBD products can be used as a food or California makes a determination that they are safe to use for human and animal consumption, CBD products are not an approved food, food ingredient, food additive, or dietary supplement.”

Distinguishing factors

While hemp and cannabis are the same plant, there has grown a distinction between the two due to how they are categorized. Hemp must contain .3% THC or less. Any more and it is considered psychoactive cannabis. This all has to do with specific breeds of cannabis that have been bred over generations to have as little THC as possible.

Even then, the FDA still considers CBD from either hemp or cannabis to be a schedule 1 controlled substance. This is despite the fact that the FDA just approved a CBD drug produced by a pharmaceutical company for seizures, even though they consider CBD a federally illegal, schedule 1 controlled substance. The smell of hypocrisy is flagrant.

Hypocrisy Abound

At The Real Dirt, we know all the legal jargon, acronyms and hypocrisy can be too much. Here are the basics of the new CBD oil ban in California so you know exactly what’s going on.

The California Department of Public Health’s Food and Drug Branch (CDPH) recently released a statement entitled FAQ – Industrial Hemp and Cannabidiol CBD in Food Products, which declares that in California, hemp-derived CBD cannot be used in any food products.
The prohibited ingredients in food products include:
1) any CBD products derived from cannabis;
2) any CBD products including CBD oil derived from industrial hemp;
3) hemp oil that is not derived from industrial hemp seeds; and
4) industrial hemp seed oil enhanced with CBD or other cannabinoids.
This new CDPH guidance does not impact the ability of cannabis businesses to produce and sell cannabis-derived CBD products, including cannabis edibles, in licensed dispensaries under the regulated cannabis system. 
What do you think of this new memo? Do you think it will hold up, or will the people of California push back hard?