THE NEW SMOKER
Indeed, he sells his sun-grown cannabis with the help of Flow Kana, a retail marijuana brand that “partner[s] with, and give[s] scale to, premier artisan farmers in Mendocino County and Southern Humboldt who focus on small batch, boutique strains.” The brand distributes Emerald Triangle marijuana, grown by a membership of approximately 100 small farms, all throughout the Golden State. Though even in the magical weed-growing micro-climate of the region, cultivating marijuana for medical, recreational, or any purpose is a violation of federal law. And black market growers with little regard for the environment are detrimental to pretty much all wildlife and natural resources. This unsustainable practice puts the uniqueness of the Emerald Triangle’s biodiverse ecosystem at risk. A 2015 study that examined watershed levels and the impact of illegal marijuana grows on local creeks and water sources in southern Humboldt County, found that: “water demands for marijuana cultivation exceed streamflow during low-flow periods. . .”
Cyril (right) employs painstaking attention to detail to his crop.
The area’s biodiversity allows local farms to create micro-climate-strains exclusive to the Emerald Triangle..
And because the demand for fresh water to cultivate weed exceeds the immediately available supply, black market growers often reroute streams and creeks entirely, by building artificial dams, and other rigged means of diverting water-flow to their farms. Another, earlier study, which used Humboldt County cannabis farms as its data source, found 59
Artisanal techniques and methodologies are passed down among farmers, and between generations in the Emerald Triangle.
