Scrubbing equipment will be required for cannabis growers to reduce odors after years of complaints
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - One of the more frequent complaints to government leaders in the Carpinteria Valley has been the odor of cannabis coming from numerous growers in the area.
The County of Santa Barbara has been looking at solutions to both address the citizen complaints and not hinder the grower's operations and investments.
The Board of Supervisors is voting to require indoor cannabis growers to have carbon filtration scrubbers (or a suitable system) as part of a clean air process through modern technology.
Supporters say the odors, for years, have been a nuisance over a wide area of the valley. It can get into the city limits but this is not an issue the City of Carpinteria has control over directly since it is in the county area.
It gives the growers 12 months to implement the process and equipment but also time to file an extension for another 12 months if there's a legitimate issue presented such as delays in power upgrades or issues with getting necessary equipment.
"I do agree we need to do an extension one time of up to 12 months. We to put teeth on this to show people we are serious," said Supervisor Roy Lee. His district has the bulk of the cannabis concerns. He said he wanted the updated ordinance changes so growers would not "wiggle out of this ."
The Director of Planning and Development, Lisa Plowman said enforcement will be a priority. "We do have the ability to have staff going out in the community in random situations and checking up to make sure the odor threshold is not being exceeded."
There are no cannabis greenhouses within the Carpinteria city limits, but the odors have been reported in various locations on a regular basis from Highway 192 to the ocean side of the freeway around Santa Claus Lane.
Some growers have said they are working on odor reduction plans, but the ordinance would have an overall impact, not a piecemeal approach.
The testing will be done with a piece of equipment called the Nasal Ranger at the property line.
One resident speaking to the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday said as recently as the middle of the day prior to his time in front of the board, he dealt with the odor.
Paul Roberts lives just up from some cannabis greenhouses. "I smelled it today. If the county came out tomorrow my suspicion is it is not going to be in the same place. It was a powerful scent. We don't confuse it with lemons, oranges, avocados. It's cannabis and it's powerful and we get it into our homes."
Jared Ficker is a spokesperson for CARP Growers. He said, "if you want to see rapid implantation of carbo scrubbers and not see a barrier of economic hardship I think there is a way to work out a tax credit."
The county staff says about 15 to 20 growers will need to install the scrubbers.
Santa Barbara County Supervisors have supported stronger technology to identify, measure and be used to control odors from cannabis growers.
If cannabis growers are not able to meet the requirements to clean the air, they would face losing their business license.
Making all this works involves changes to the county's existing policies and standards and in many cases such as in the Carpinteria Valley it will involved going to the California Coastal Commission.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department has also been involved in the cannabis issue by enforcing the laws pertaining to illegal operations. The department says there have been grows confiscated and enforcement including criminal charges are taking place. Some of the details pertaining to a current, very large enforcement action could not be publicly discussed.
Making all this works involves changes to the county's existing policies and standards and in many cases such as the Carpinteria Valley it will involved going to the California Coastal Commission.
There was also an update on tax income from cannabis growers, and the amount is lower than first projected.
For more information refer to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.
