The Humboldt Chronicles

Cannabis cultivators and others at the production step in the supply chain are required by California regulations to use a distributor to bring their products to market. In our September episode, we take a look at the sometimes cumbersome and expensive distribution system within the cannabis industry. Our guests are Shenell Kress of humboldt.farm, and Tara Gurley of Proper Wellness Center.

Large, well-funded corporate cannabis entities are operating in Humboldt County. Competing with these entities poses significant challenges for Humboldt's small, craft cultivators. Could forming and participating in co-ops offer advantages in this regard? In our October episode, we talk with Nicole Riggs, of the Center for the Study of Cannabis and Social Policy, which, along with Cooperation Humboldt, recently completed a survey of cultivators to measure interest in co-ops. We also spoke with Drew Barber, a member of the Uplift Co-op.

For our final episode in 2021, we sat down with former Humboldt County Supervisor Mark Lovelace, who is now Senior Policy Analyst for HdL Companies, in which capacity he advises cities and counties in California on cannabis policies. Our conversation with Mark included discussions of marketing, the value of the "Humboldt Brand", the tax and regulatory structure in the cannabis industry, and the impact of the large unregulated cannabis market.

Wholesale prices for cannabis have suffered a precipitous decline over the last 18 months, creating severe hardships for Humboldt County cultivators. Some claim that the cost of production now exceeds what the crop can bring at market. In our January episode, we look at the problems facing growers and one possible short-term fix. Our guest is Natalynne Delapp, Executive Director of the Humboldt County Grower's Alliance.

For our final episode of 2022 (we take December off), we took a look at the results of the 2022 mid-term elections as they affect the Humboldt cannabis industry with our special guest, Congressman Jared Huffman.