This California County Took Millions From Marijuana Farmers and Then Illegalized Growing It

Calveras County's board illegalized marijuana cultivation after taking millions of dollars from growers.

February 28, 2018

Marijuana is a booming business in California, which legalized recreational use of the plant earlier this year. But not everyone is pro-pot.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Calaveras County officials are under fire after their board of supervisors permitted marijuana farmers to start businesses in the small county, then banned marijuana cultivation two years later.

In that time, more than 700 people paid $5,000 in registration fees each which gave $3.5 million to the county, according to supervisor Michael Oliveira. On top of that, the county reportedly gained nearly $10 million from a cultivation tax that was put in place in 2016.

Now the citizens who planned to farm marijuana in Calaveras County are threatening to sue, saying the county took their money for a now-illegal permit. "We’ve spent everything we have to survive and make it as legitimate as we can," said one of the medical marijuana cultivators, Jeremy Maddux, to the Times. Another, Michelle Maddux, said they're "local family farmers" who "are a part of this community." She also added that "we coach soccer, our kids go to school here."

Oliveira, who voted against the ruling said that he did so because "it took away too many rights" and "didn't address the money we collected. They’re going to tear that apart in court."