Cannabis Stories

"When they go low, I get high" ....
just kidding! (however, I do love that line from an SNL skit!)  Hey, but recreational marijuana is now legal in California!  And no matter your opinions about getting high (my dad said he didn't like it because it took his buzz away from alcohol),  no matter the politicians vacillating between cracking down and endorsing it, or who inhaled or didn't, there's a butt load of money to be made - and the one group of people sure to be affected: the Cannabis Farmers!

I've been exploring stories about cannabis farming through still and video these past couple of years.  The small farmers I know were against legalization - and it's not that they are against legalization,  just not this particular new law, as it makes them vulnerable against the big business of cannabis.  We are already seeing the price per pound plummeting in California, and many small farmer's can not afford the costs to bring their farms to legal status.  Some farms were destroyed by the fires that ravaged so much of California last fire season and unlike other crops cannabis is not protected by federal money.  As much as many farms would like to legalize, the reality for many farms is that selling their crop on the black market is still the only way for them to make money.  There is a great article in Rolling Stone that goes into much more detail on this subject: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/how-legalization-is-hurting-californias-small-pot-farmers-w514842

This is an ongoing project.  If you work in any capacity in the California Cannabis industry I would love to interview you.  I'm especially interested in interviewing women growers.  Or if you are interested in seeing more of this work and the stories behind the images please contact me directly.