Farmers join HCGA in filing lawsuit against Humboldt County over Measure A
Seven cannabis farmers have joined the Humboldt County Growers Alliance (HCGA) to file suit in Humboldt County Superior Court to hopefully stop the Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative’s (HCRI) Measure A from being included on the ballot in March of 2024. The suit is being filed on the grounds that signature-gathering efforts for the HCRI were based on lies.
Natalyne Delapp, HCGA’s executive director stated in a press release:
“If the signature-gathering efforts for Measure A were truthful, this initiative never would have made it to the ballot. Claiming to protect small cannabis farmers and public participation, while in fact targeting small cannabis farmers with a panoply of new restrictions and locking broken policy in place permanently, is exactly the subversion of the democratic process that elections laws are designed to prevent.”
According to the HCGA, last year, signature gatherers solicited Humboldt voters public events like farmers’ markets and fairs, asking voters to sign an initiative petition that was supposed to “ensure greater public participation” and “support small-scale, high-quality cannabis cultivation.”
This lawsuit documents how Measure A’s backers highlighted materially false and misleading information that deceived voters into believing the initiative was about restricting large-scale cultivation. More importantly, they failed to include the full text of the initiative as required by law during their advocacy. DeLapp continued:
“The reality is that Measure A would be a disaster for public safety and the environment, fatally undermining the regulatory framework that was designed to end the harms of prohibition and the social and environmental impacts of the Green Rush. When the proponents decided to write policy behind closed doors and ignore the input of law enforcement, environmental groups, farmers, and regulators, the result would always be chaos, not a functional program that protects county residents.”
Measure A is a existential threat to licensed cannabis growers in Humboldt County. HCGA’s Policy Director, Ross Gordon, commented:
“Measure A would effectively repeal and replace 143 pages of county cannabis ordinances developed over eight years of public deliberation, and yet none of this was disclosed to voters who were told they were simply ‘protecting small farmers. The Planning Department’s recent analysis of Measure A has made it clear how dangerous this policy would be, but we never would have been in this position in the first place if the proponents had simply disclosed the truth about what this initiative does.”
Seven Cannabis Farmers join HCGA in lawsuit against Humboldt County
The seven named Humboldt county cannabis farmers are:- John Lee Casali of Huckleberry Hill Farms
- Steve Luu of SL Consulting Services
- Karen Hessler of Amaranth Farms
- Dylan Mattole of Mattole Family Farms
- Patrick William Andrews of Ice Box Flat Farms
- Hannah Whyte of Emerald Queen Farms
- Indicus McGrath Riggs of Galactic Farms
PLEASE DONATE Our Goal: To have a judge find that the petition is illegal and removed from the March 2024 ballot. We need your support for the campaign to challenge Measure A in court, and to educate voters on the true effects of Measure A on our small farmers, environment, and public safety. Your donation will help us fight against this initiative and protect Humboldt’s world-renowned small farming community. Your contribution goes directly to the “No on Measure A: Committee to Protect Small Farmers sponsored by the Humboldt County Growers Alliance” FPPC # 1459847
Founder of The Highest Critic
Unpaid /r/trees mod
Certified Ganjier
Kine bud enthusiast
