California wild fires may destroy around 15,000 weed farms

Deadly wildfires have consumed over 221,700 acres of land in California.

As of Friday, October 13, there have been 35 fatalities and 5,700 structures destroyed in the Northern California fires.

But, marijuana farmers in North California are also taking a huge L. Within those 221,700 acres, 10,000 to 15,000 of the state’s marijuana farms are at risk of burning down.

Peep the wildfire smoke from space

Parts of northern California have been ravaged by intense and fast-burning wildfires that broke out on October 8. Blazes that started on a few hundred acres around Napa Valley were fanned by strong northeasterly winds, and by October 10, the 14 fires had consumed as much as 100,000 acres of land. NASA Earth observing satellites capture images of the fires from their unique vantage point in space. States of emergency have been declared in Napa, Sonoma, Yuba, and Mendocino counties, and thousands of people were asked to evacuate. The densely populated “wine country” is famous for its vineyards and wine-making operations and the tourists they attract. Credit: NASA #nasa #space #earth #fire #wildfire #westcoast #smoke #picoftheday

A post shared by NASA (@nasa) on Oct 10, 2017 at 3:34pm PDT

The risk of growing marijuana comes at a huge cost. None of the farmers can obtain insurance for their marijuana crops.

Why? Although farming and distributing weed within the Golden State is legal it is prohibited on a federal level.

That keeps financial institutions, like insurance companies, from protecting an industry that can possibly bring in $6.5 billion of revenue by 2020.

According to Derek Peterson, CEO of Terra Tech, farmers typically invest upward of $5 million in their facilities and as much as $3 million on growing the crop itself.

Sheesh! That’s a lot of green to be lost to the sticky icky. In an interview with CNN Money, Peterson said,

“If their facilities burn down, a lot of these people won’t be able to get any economic relief for them from an insurance claim. There’s no mechanism for recovery to repay them for their loss. It’s a tremendous risk for these people.”

The wildfires will affect those within Mendocino County, one of three points in the Emerald Triangle. The fires also threaten seven other counties which overlap the largest cannabis-producing region in the United States.

Although Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in eight counties, the impact on marijuana sales is unlikely to be affected. There are so many weed farms that are scattered throughout the state.

Ganja farmers are still shook. In order to save some of their crops, bud farmers are harvesting earlier to avoid their plants from being totally burned down or tainted with smoke.

Cannabis Cultivation Applicants will be allowed to tend to their crops under agricultural access

If you are a #Mendocino #CANNABIS CULTIVATION PERMIT APPLICANT in GOOD STANDING and your garden is in a mandatory evacuation area, you will be allowed in to tend your crop under #agriculture access. The Mendocino Ag Department has submitted a list of applicants names and addresses to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and the two agencies are coordinating their efforts. If you fit the criteria and you experience any issues gaining access call 707- 972-6614 for assistance. PLEASE SHARE THIS POST!!!! Peace and blessings to all. ❤️ #emeraldtriangle #cannabisculture #agriculture #prop64 #prop215 #legalizeit @bureauofcannabiscontrol #bureauofcannabiscontrol #sustainability #sungrown #norcal #calfires #norcalfires #redwoodvalley #redwoodvalleyfires

A post shared by Swami Select (@swamiselect) on Oct 14, 2017 at 4:53pm PDT

Peterson explained in a CNN interview that farmers are worried, “Here comes this fire at the worst possible time for them. I have a lot of friends who are really troubled right now.”

I know East Coasters are stressing though. Hopefully, this doesn’t suck the beast coast into a dry spell vortex. Nothing is worse than canceling piff plans. To put your mind at ease, this wouldn’t be the first time marijuana farms have burned up.

Medical marijuana has been legal in California since 1996 so this wouldn’t be farmers’ first rodeo. They’ve gone through this before and they will get through it again.

Prayers go up for all of the farmers who are tending to their crops, all the families that have lost homes to the unforgiving flames, and those who have lost loved ones.

Also, a big shoutout to the 11,000 firefighters who are battling the flames on the daily. We’re thinking of y’all.