According to a survey by the Nevada County (California) Cannabis Alliance, the majority of current county cannabis industry operators, both licensed and unlicensed, are interested in cultivation sites of at least 5,000 square feet and 95 percent of respondents said they would be able to comply with the state’s adult-use cannabis rules if given a three-year transition period.
If the transition period were reduced to just one year, the confidence level drops to 19 percent.
The survey found that 38 percent indicated they would seek a Type 2 and 2B outdoor or mixed light cultivation license for up to 10,000 square feet, while another 38 percent said they would be interested in Type 1 or Specialty Outdoor license that allows up to 5,000 square feet of total canopy. Twenty-four percent said they would pursue a Type 1C or Special Cottage license that would allow a 2,500-square-foot, mixed light grow.
Diana Gamzon, director of the county alliance, said the survey was an attempt to “get a snapshot of the cannabis community in order to inform the cannabis cultivation ordinance process.”
“Nevada County cannabis farmers seek to transition into legitimate businesses as state regulations come into effect. However, the absence of a local ordinance that allows them to seek state licensing has put them in a perilous situation,” Gamzon said in the press release published by the Union. “Many want to begin complying with local building codes, but fear that beginning that process would mean outing themselves to county officials and law enforcement.”
Seventy-seven percent of respondents said they would work toward compliance if allowed a transition period.