Santa Cruz County To Issue Licenses To Local Marijuana Growers

(KPIX 5) -- Santa Cruz County wants to bring marijuana growing completely out in the open by issuing licenses for cultivation, and growers seem to be embracing the chance for greater legitimacy.

Tucked in the Santa Cruz Mountains is Colin Disheroon's boutique pot farm on a 44-acre lot. In the winter, it features a greenhouse and a warehouse.

"Most of the industry right now that's doing things indoors is doing a hydroponic grow method," explained Disheroon. "They're using some sort of synthetic medium to grow their plants in."

But here, Disheroon uses organic and minimally-processed nutrients to feed the soil, and the plants are free from pesticides to yield higher-quality, more flavorful products.

He is one of nearly 1,000 marijuana growers in the area that have applied for a county license to operate under a new ordinance that's in line with state law.

Disheroon welcomes government oversight. "I'm just really excited that there's this opportunity right now for the industry to transition from this underground grey marketplace that it's been and really legitimize," he said.

It would be the first regulatory system of its kind in the county.

"We were extremely encouraged by the fact that we had so many people register for our cultivation licenses," said Daniel Peterson, the county's first cannabis licensing manager. "The reason being it really demonstrates the desire on the part of the local cultivators to be good stewards of the land."

The ordinance will be finalized once the county finishes its environmental impact report this summer. Peterson will then do on-site inspections and background checks before issuing licenses. The ultimate goal - is to protect unique strains of cannabis that treat specific illnesses that are only grown in Santa Cruz County.

Many of the products are sold in Disheroon's dispensary in Aptos called Santa Cruz Naturals.

Under the new county ordinance, Santa Cruz Naturals could triple its square footage for cultivation at the farm, which means Disheroon would pay more taxes, but also have more resources to run his business.

The first county licenses could go out in September - four months before recreational pot sales become legal in the state of California under Proposition 64.

Santa Cruz County expects its dispensaries to see a 30 percent increase in sales once it goes into effect.

Disheroon is looking forward to growing his business, but says he will always stay small when it comes to cultivation style.