Allied Association Blog: Nevada County Cannabis Alliance Update

The Nevada County Cannabis Alliance is a trade association in California whose mission is to Advocate, Educate, and Connect. The Alliance advocates for reasonable local policies and a fair county ordinance. We believe in empowering community success through education, and connecting stakeholders with opportunities to participate and collaborate in the industry.

Nevada County has a renowned history of heritage cannabis cultivation that has played a crucial role in the community and economy over the past decades. Our community is well known for high quality, craft cannabis farming as well as for our unique quality of homesteading life. The Alliance seeks collaborations with organizations that value high quality, craft, California cannabis, grown by farmers with a unique history and story.

What issues are we working on?

1. Completing the comprehensive Environmental Impact Report necessary prior to the final completion of our local cannabis ordinance.
2. Providing essential education to the farmers throughout the regulatory transitions to assist with permitting and licensing.
3. Developing relationships with distributors and partners to bring our farmers to market.

Challenges

One challenge we face as a member based organization is maintaining and continuing to grow our membership numbers. The quintessential financial sustainability quagmire. Ever changing regulations and market uncertainty has caused reluctance from many small farmers. The Alliance works hard to reinvigorate and provide hope throughout the local cannabis community, but the reality is that there has been a decline in membership. Maintaining and continuing to grow our membership numbers, business sponsorships and financial stability is a constant need in order to continue working for a thriving cannabis industry for our region.

Another challenge is connecting our small- batch (10,000 sq ft farmers) into the supply chain with distributors who are interested in craft product.

What’s happening that’s important?

1. Ensuring that permitted local farms have access to the market via various distribution channels.
2. Decreasing barriers to entry for farmers within our local policy and ordinances. For example, local farmers are restricted to holding only 3 cultivation permits and local farmers also MUST have a permitted residence on the land to which they farm cannabis.

What advice or education do you have for others?

To counties that may still have complete cultivation bans, hang in there. Policy work is thankless, not pretty, and not why anyone began farming and living off of the land. Celebrate each and every small victory and step in the right direction, they truly add up. It is crucial for the greater community to support those that are willing to do the policy work and for there to be consistent representation with local officials. These relationships are everything, so continue to build bridges and nurture every community relationship. Nevada County worked its way out of a 2016 ban and we will be home to a thriving cannabis community and industry. It is important to organize and show strength in numbers.