.Tawnie Logan

The constant fear of police, property loss and expensive legal defense costs have created generations of cultivators who invest the bare minimum into materials and infrastructure. Cheap equipment, unlicensed contractors and lack of code-enforcement guidelines create ideal conditions for fire hazards and excessive waste.

Cannabis famers in California have the opportunity to work together, build cooperative brands and secure a competitive position in the newly developing market. But the longer they wait, the more leverage they lose in securing their value, as corporate competitors emerge.

Times are changing for cannabis cultivators across the state. To meet the rigorous demands of the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA), set to take effect in just 18 months, growers who want to be compliant are having to develop new business models, apply for new permits and hire attorneys and business consultants. Many operators are also evaluating their dwindling return on investment.

Media increasingly report accounts of people using cannabis as medicine for a wide variety of ailments: stress relief, insomnia, PTSD, nausea, appetite and more. But this is nothing new. Humans have a long history of eating, cultivating and ritualistically enjoying this plant. Evidence of medical applications can be traced back 5,000 years to Chinese emperor and herbalist Chen Nung, who bandaged battle wounds with cannabis leaves.

In a nation with one of the largest military budgets and strongest fighting forces in the world, we still somehow struggle to provide quality care for our veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits doctors from making recommendations for medical marijuana, even if state law allows such medicine and even if the ailments were created out of military service, such as PTSD, anxiety, insomnia or chronic pain.