Humboldt: Where Cannabis Terroir Is Resistance

After World War II, formed by the power of the Resistance, French cheese makers began to organize themselves to protect and sustain small craft cheese production in rural regions of the country. They formed syndicats, promoted the quality of their product for export and tourism, and mobilized locally to establish new cheese appellations. They resisted agro-industrial production.

Today, cannabis farmers in Humboldt, hundreds of them, want to sustain themselves and their communities by continuing to produce high quality small batch cannabis grown with regenerative practices. They resist in these three ways:

1. NO TO COMMODITIZATION

Craft cannabis grown in Humboldt yields a distinctive taste. It expresses the soil, the people, and the growing practices. It’s not a standard commodity, it’s a long-term relationship with the environment.

2. NO TO CONSOLIDATION

In Humboldt, hundreds of small farmers and extractors live near their work. They’re not workers for big agriculture, they’re a community of independent, skilled producers.

3. NO TO SEPARATION

Humboldt cannabis farmers work together to produce quality over quantity. Résistance and cannabis terroir arise from the same foundation: COLLECTIVE ORGANIZING.

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Nicole Riggs is the founder of Manifesto Synergies, an agency providing communication services to the cannabis industry in Humboldt.