I marched in Carpinteria’s Holiday Spirit Parade in December as part of entry #20 representing the city's cannabis industry. One member drove a shiny red 1947 tractor, which had been beautifully restored by the Carpinteria High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) shop program, as are many of the refurbished workhorses dotting local farms.
The tractor, with an FFA sticker on its rear, pulled a lovingly handmade sleigh filled with faux presents. The parade is a fun event, even more so for the adults than the children. It’s also one of those few times where you can touch bases with lots of people you haven’t seen in too long a while.
A couple of days after the parade, I received a call from a colleague who said a school district official called her because a parent wanted to know if FFA was working for cannabis growers.