With California poised to legalize recreational marijuana through Proposition 64 in November, California’s existing marijuana cultivators in Mendocino County are looking to protect their highest quality buds by applying for wine-style appellations.

The  Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports that Justin Calvino, a “onetime Haight-Ashbury dope dealer,” is attempting to organize a formal designation, “Cannabis County,” for a specific geographically-defined region known to produce the state’s best crop.

The hope is to protect Mendocino farmers through “a legally defined and protected geographical identification system similar to what’s used in the wine industry.”

The Press Democrat explains:

The idea is to call out regional influences — known in the wine world as terroir — including the amount of sun and water plants get, soils and farming innovation passed from generation to generation dating back to the 1960s.

“Just like you have Anderson Valley pinot noir, you’d have Anderson Valley pineapple,” Calvino said, referring to

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