continued from previous page lites don’t show for certain what’s in a greenhouse, and dried up streams could indicate resurging second-growth timber is sucking more water from the watersheds. The need to rule out other factors is precisely why the institute is seeking more natural scientists. Meisel is frustrated that few natural researchers are expressing interest in the institute so far, particularly because HSU is known for its strength in those areas. “Given the outstanding work in forestry, fisheries, environmental studies, wildlife — given the news of energy use, water, diesel spills — we have yet to hear from faculty members who want to get involved,” Meisel says. He’s actively courting (or “facilitating,” Meisel says) a couple of HSU researchers to join the institute — though he declined to name them. Why aren’t natural scientists already involved? Meisel fears it’s the stigma of studying marijuana, but the campus’ top biologist says it’s just logistics. Steve Smith, the dean of the College of Natural Resources and Sciences, says that finding time to plan out and begin new research projects is the biggest barrier. “I don’t think it’s anything about the stigma. I think our folks fully understand this is a legitimate area of research and should’ve been [considered legitimate] a long time ago.” Water quality engineers, wildlife professors and others from his college have expressed interest in marijuana research, Smith says, but unlike University of California schools, CSU professors are not given independent research hours — they’re expected to perform their research while balancing their teaching workload. Wildlife professor Rick Brown is interested in the effects of herbicides and pesticides used to protect marijuana crops and maximize profits. “They have potentially dramatic effects on wildlife,” Brown says. “We don’t know what those effects are.” But one problem for researchers representing the university, as Brown sees it, are the hazards of being out in the field. “I do worry a little bit about safety, especially if you have students anywhere involved.” People haven’t been attacking wildlife biologists, he says, but he knows of field researchers who have been confronted by marijuana growers. Still, Brown’s quick to point out that doesn’t mean stumbling upon every grow is dangerous. “We tend to lump people together. I don’t know that’s appropriate in this case. I don’t think it’s right to classify a grower as a grower as a grower.”
H
SU faculty make up most of the membership of the Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research with at least one associate member from the community.
Here are some of the areas of study HSU faculty and others are pursuing through the institute: Economics professor Beth Wilson is seeking ways to measure the size and scale of the marijuana economy in Humboldt County, and use those numbers to predict the potential economic impact of legalization. Assistant business professor Michelle Lane is examining the economic, social and environmental impacts of large-scale cannabis production in the U.S. Sociology lecturer Anthony Silvaggio is trying to determine the ecological and public health impacts of marijuana production in the rural portions of the county. As part of his research, Silvaggio used Google Earth satellite images to identify possible cultivation sites and compare historical images to show when the farms developed. Sociology professor Elizabeth Watson is looking into the medical marijuana ethical issues faced by local physicians. Anthropology lecturer Fred Krissman is interested in studying labor markets for cultivators and dispensary workers, particularly immigrant agricultural workers. Psychology chair Gregg Gold hopes to determine how marijuana use affects health and how social perceptions of marijuana change attitudes and behaviors. Geography assistant professor Monica Stephens is exploring methods of studying the “shadow economy” and marijuana pricing.
IN HSU’S BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL SCIENCES BUILDING. PHOTO BY GRANT SCOTT-GOFORTH
Community member Edie Butler is an associate member of the institute and a board member of the 420 Archive, which seeks to collect artifacts, oral histories and ephemera of Northern California’s “marijuana phenomena.”
Marijuana research is also inherently more complicated than other subjects, requiring approval from federal and state governments, Natural Resources Dean Smith says. “Do you want to spend six months filing paperwork to get permission to do some simple thing?” Three or four years ago a student was interested in studying hemp’s ability to remove heavy metals, Smith recalls. The college looked briefly into the logistics of getting marijuana plants and harvesting hemp from their stalks, but the controls from the university and both the state and federal governments made it nearly impossible. “It’s illegal,” Smith says. “Stupidly, perhaps.” Bruce O’Gara, chair of the biology department, studies the effects of drugs on the brain and understands how difficult it is to research illegal drugs. To work with pot, he explains, you need governmentapproved sources of pot, a comprehensive paper trail and a drug safe bolted to the floor. The regulatory hurdles and costs have kept him from studying pot’s effect on users, which is something he’d like to do. “If you have nice big grants you can handle those sorts of things,” he says, but “funding is very tight for all research
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right now. The government is very leery of funding research on almost any drug that could be used for enjoyment.” That doesn’t mean that nobody’s doing such studies. Brown points to Dr. Mourad Gabriel, a UC Davis researcher who co-founded the Integral Ecology Research Center in Blue Lake and is currently studying the effects of pesticides on fishers, the weasel-like mammal found dead near marijuana farms this year. Gabriel was one of the HSU institute’s guest speakers last year and has become a source for national news media, scholars and law enforcement agencies who seek to learn more about the environmental effects of pot grows.
The Money Hunt
While Eschker seeks hard figures for the income that the pot industry brings to Humboldt County and beyond, there’s little doubt that it’s a lot of cash. Researching marijuana, so far, is far less lucrative. When Eschker and Meisel submitted their charter in 2012, they asked the university for nearly $60,000 in support — money for travel, website development, student research assistants, office and research supplies, and for the two co-directors’ increased workload.
They didn’t get any of that money. Eschker maintains the website. There’s no funding for research, and the time to manage the institute and complete their own studies is piled on top of their other duties as professors. “It isn’t something that the campus has money for,” says Rhea Williamson, the dean of research and economic and community development. Her organization provides the most direct oversight for the institute’s funds and is helping it seek funding from grant sources and the community. A small budget from the HSU Advancement Foundation, which solicits funds from private donors, pays for the travel and lodging costs of the institute’s speaker series. And Eschker did receive some in incentive funding, which allowed him to take some time from his daily duties to work on a “major proposal.” Neither Williamson nor Eschker would discuss the proposal, saying public disclosure could give competitors for grant funding an advantage. The institute is also seeking community support — an endeavor its directors are approaching with caution. “We have to navigate concerns about how we present ourselves,” Meisel says. “We are not to take any advocacy positions. We can’t accept support from growers.” With more funding they can support more research projects and, ideally, pay the students who assist them.