{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"KZYX News","title":"Federal legality of grant program debated","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":390,"description":"October 5, 2022 — Members of the rapidly dwindling cannabis community showed up en masse at the Board of Supervisors meeting this week, to speak about the hardships of the market, the recommendations of the cannabis ad hoc committee, and a proposal to limit the cannabis equity grant program. Dozens of cannabis business people in yellow T-shirts waited in the hallway outside the Board of Supervisors chambers on Tuesday afternoon as the Board held an extended closed session that lasted until after 3:00 pm. \r\n\r\nMonique Ramirez, a farmer and policy advocate for the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, had driven down from Covelo, a week before she was due to give birth to her second child.\r\n“Our harvest is going wonderful, especially with the great weather we’ve had,” she said. “The market, that’s a whole other story. Not doing so great.” Other farmers who were spending a sunny fall day off the farm described offers of $350 and even $100 a pound for their product. Ramirez said she was still struggling to sell last year’s product from her cottage farm, which is the smallest license type. “For us, $200-$300 a pound does not work when you’re yielding maybe 80-100 pounds, max,” she explained.\r\n\r\nRamirez told the Board that the reason she is such a staunch legal policy advocate is that she was raided years ago. She was harmed by the war on drugs, which makes her eligible for a cannabis equity grant. The much-delayed program was the subject of a Grand Jury report this year.\r\n\r\nThis week, Supervisor Ted Williams sponsored an item proposing that staff limit the program to “legitimate government purposes,” and to “void any program elements found to be impermissible under federal law.” The grant guidelines are set by the state. The item was not accompanied by explanatory materials, which was frustrating to some of the leading cannabis advocates in the room.\r\n\r\n Supervisor John Haschak didn’t think the feds were much of a threat. “We’ve been into this program for two years,” he said....","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/xZpAumwbhFUpJUYcwaQ1-q6snzOyqAm13l7cW6AWPCM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mMzkz/NjAwNjc2OWMyZmFk/YWY2YTdmYjI5M2Mz/YWMxNy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}