John Schroyer
A local nonprofit in Santa Barbara County, California, filed a new lawsuit against three marijuana farmers, alleging that the growers refuse to utilize effective odor control and are tantamount to a public nuisance.
The Coalition for Responsible Cannabis filed suit this week against Ceres Farms, Valley Crest Farms, and the Van Wingerden Family Trust, the Santa Barbara Independent reported, on behalf of three locals who want the farms to use “carbon scrubbers,” technology they say can effectively rid the area of pungent cannabis aromas.
“These growers are not the ‘good neighbors’ they claim to be,” said attorney Robert Curtis, who represents the coalition. “They continue to profit from their cannabis-growing operations at the expense of their neighbors, who no longer can enjoy their homes and neighborhoods because of the terrible and persistent smell.”
The suit claims that the stench of cannabis has lowered nearby property values and that the growers targeted by the lawsuit have avoided complying with an compromise deal last year for Santa Barbara cannabis grows to transition to carbon scrubbers, instead of using chemical masking agents to disguise the smell of marijuana.
The Independent could not reach the cannabis farms being sued for comment.
Santa Barbara’s cannabis industry has been at war for years with locals who are unhappy with the relatively new local trade, which sprouted after California voted to legalize marijuana in 2016. The lawsuit is only the latest volley.
