In a dramatic course correction on Tuesday, the new county Board of Supervisors set in motion a requirement for the use of state-of-the-art odor-control technology at each of the cannabis greenhouses of the Carpinteria Valley, a mecca for the industry ever since the county opened the gates to a “Green Rush” in 2018.
Over the years, as the local cut-flower industry largely converted to cannabis, residents filed more than 3,900 complaints with the county about the “skunky” smell of pot. Yet there has been zero enforcement of the complaints: It’s impossible to determine which greenhouse is to blame for the “hot spots” where the smell persists.
On Tuesday, the board unanimously approved a proposal introduced by Board Chair Laura Capps of Goleta and Supervisor Bob Nelson of Orcutt in a bid to finally solve the problem. It would amend the county’s cannabis ordinance to require the installation of advanced carbon filtration units, commonly known as “scrubbers” — or some “equivalent effective technology” — inside each of the 29 greenhouse operations approved by the county, just outside the limits of the City of Carpinteria.