Smelly Crops Drive Pot Farmers Out of Business

Cannabis farmers in Eastern Washington are being driven out of Chelan County–one of the most agricultural counties in the state–by zoning laws restricting grows. The Stranger reported that the smell of cannabis is drawing complaints from residents, causing lawmakers to impose crippling regulations on cannabis farms.

Reporter Lester Black wrote, “The county will no longer allow large outdoor cannabis farms, and any small outdoor farms will need to keep their pot plants at least 1,000 feet back from the farm’s property line. That’s three football fields from the edge of any neighboring property.”

The strict codes come off as a double standard to cannabis farmers and supporters, as the county has historically been very cut-and-dry about the nature of pesticides and even fecal odors drifting from the county’s many orchards and farms. While pesticide poisoning and pungent smells from fertilizer are accepted as the norm in Chelan County, lawmakers’ collective refusal to recognize cannabis as agriculture places pot on the chopping block.

Yes, Cannabis Smells

There’s no denying that cannabis farms can produce a strong odor. As with many allergies, it’s questionable whether Chelan County residents’ complaints of adverse reactions to the smell of cannabis can be truly medically validated. Nevertheless, when residents complain about nearby cannabis farms, lawmakers always listen and often take action.

Meanwhile, hop–another key crop in the same region–emits an odor very similar to that of cannabis, yet there is no restriction on hops growing in Chelan County and, quite frankly, no sympathy from local lawmakers for those who complain about the smell. This tells us that it is perhaps the idea of cannabis that people don’t like, and the smell it gives off simply makes it “ripe for the picking” of zoning restrictions designed to drive cannabis farmers out.

How to Keep Cannabis Odor Contained

Containing the smell of cannabis requires an artful and systematic combination of covering, ventilating and filtering. If you are worried about complaints of your cannabis farm wafting a noticeable odor through nearby neighborhoods, consider moving your plants into a greenhouse and installing a filtering system.

It’s also important to have a durable covering, such as Americover’s SolaScrim™ greenhouse cover. SolaScrim™ is rated to last up to four years in even the harshest elements and offers an 84 percent light transmission rate with 45 percent light diffusion. To learn more about this and other greenhouse supplies for your cannabis farm, call Americover at 760-747-6095.