California Cannabis Growers to Face Water Restrictions

Chris Beytes

California’s cannabis growers are finding they face the same legal and regulatory challenges as growers of other crops—like water restrictions.

According to the website News Deeply, as many as 50,000 of the state’s cannabis growers could be required to obtain state permits for irrigation water. Why? To prevent harm to the environment and other water users, resulting from the rapid growth of cannabis cultivation in the state, says the State Water Resources Control Board.

The ruling is a result of State Bill 837, which includes details of the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act, signed into law October 9, 2015. It establishes a system to regulate cannabis growing in California—including water use, apparently.

However, cannabis grower groups apparently support the regulations. News Deeply quoted Hezekiah Allen, Executive Director of the California Growers Association, which represents cannabis growers and helped draft the new legislation, as saying, “This community is ready to be part of the mainstream. What we are trying to do is move people into the regulated class. Lots absolutely want that legitimacy.”

The Water Control Board points out that the rules don’t target cannabis growers, but are meant for all small agricultural irrigators growing any crop. But at the same time, they do want to get control of unregulated cannabis irrigation. GT