How Will Small Marijuana Growers Stay Competitive if California Legalizes It?

For decades, small growers in Humboldt County have made a living cultivating and selling cannabis. But over the last 10 years or so, outsiders have been pouring in to the region trying to cash in on the “green rush” for commercial cannabis.

The medical marijuana industry has certainly sparked a cannabis boon, but if Californians vote for Proposition 64 and allow adults to smoke cannabis purely for recreation, it will be a game changer for the industry.

It’s not hard to find local farmers who worry that larger corporations will eventually squeeze out their smaller operations.

Farmers like Chrystal Ortiz-Beck and her husband, Noah Beck. Chrystal and Noah currently cultivate medical marijuana for dispensaries. Their farm, or “grow,” as it is known around here, is in Holmes, an unincorporated town right off Highway 101.

Holmes is a remote and rugged place. The South Fork of the Eel River drifts...

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