(This is an abridged version of a story that appears in the January issue of Marijuana Business Magazine.)
When California marijuana dispensary owner Chris Jennings decided to apply for a cultivation license in 2016, he helped organize a meeting for growers to discuss water and other natural resource regulations with several city and county officials.
That meeting, attended by about 80 growers, was beneficial.
But it provided only a smidgen of the information Jennings and other growers in Lake County would need to meet county and state environmental requirements related to:
- Water and air quality.
- Energy use.
- Waste discharge.
- Wetlands, rivers, fisheries and plants.
- Pesticide use.
- Even “cultural resources” such as ancient human artifacts.
All were on the list of potential impacts that needed to be assessed and remedied.
So, what’s a business owner to do with so much information to digest and then act on?
One can hire consultants, as did Jennings, owner of Lakeside Herbal Solutions, a medical and recreational marijuana dispensary in Clearlake, California.
Moreover, experts told Marijuana Business Magazine that investing in environmental improvements and efficiencies – even beyond those required by law – might mean the difference between success and failure in these days of razor-thin wholesale margins among growers.
Click here to read experts’ thoughts on:
- The increase in environmental rules.
- Getting help from regulators.
- Finding an adviser.
- The costs of conducting a study.
- Problems business owners might encounter.
- What to expect in the future.
Click here to take a deeper dive into how marijuana cultivators can conserve energy.
