Marijuana Farms Approved in Oakland
Posted on 21. Jul, 2010 by Tony Valencia in Headlines
Aware of the massive economic benefits of marijuana, Oakland City Council has approved the creation of large-scale farms as a way to generate revenue, at the chagrin of many small farm owners.
The Council has given the go-ahead for four industrial-sized farms that can produce up to 100,000 square feet of the illicit plant, according to reports released by the San Francisco Chronicle.
This plan could work in the city’s favor if Proposition 19 – an initiative to legalize recreational pot use – passes in November.
The farmers will have to pay $5,000 in administrative costs, plus $3 Million for insurance and an annual fee of $211,000 for permits.
As of 2009, the four farms have grossed over $28 Million, and as a result the City Council intends to raise the taxes to 12 percent, up from a meagre 1.8 percent.
“Government should not choose the winners and losers but create a level playing field,” said Steve DeAngelo, proprietor the largest medical marijuana farm in the country and opposes the City Council decision. “Some people might prefer mass production, assembly-line cannabis that costs less. Others might prefer cannabis grown by a master gardener in a smaller plot.”
DeAngelo is not ready to make a fight: “Let the market sort it out,” he told the Chronicle.
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