People in the Lake County cannabis industry should be looking into the formation of labor unions. As the cannabis industry evolves, unions will protect individuals and promote investment through fair and effective labor standards. Additionally, the DEA and other law enforcement agencies would be much less eager to arrest growers belonging to unions, i.e. free Lake County”s Eddy Lepp and drop the charges against Tom Carter.
One of the most influential labor unions in the state, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), has recently endorsed Proposition 19, which legalizes marijuana. Proposition 19 is also supported by the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Northern California Council of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union, Communications Workers of America Local 9415 and Sign Displays & Allied Crafts Local 510.
Unions are already organizing within the medical marijuana industry. Earlier this year, approximately 100 workers in Oakland”s retail medical marijuana dispensaries joined the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union.
On Monday Teamsters Local 70, an Oakland-based union, unionized medical marijuana employees. Members of this union work as gardeners, trimmers, and cloners for Marjyn Investments LLC, an Oakland business that contracts with medical marijuana patients through collectives. Their newly negotiated two-year contract provides individuals with a pension, paid vacation and health insurance. Their current wages of $18 per hour will increase to $25.75 an hour within 15 months, according to the union.
Lake County has great soil and some of the cannabis industry”s most knowledgeable professionals. To use economic terms, Lake County needs to capitalize on its comparative advantage and invest in its future. The evolution and success of Napa”s wine Industry is an excellent model of development and innovation.
The Bay Area and other Northern Californian counties are thinking big. On July 20, the Oakland City Council voted 5-2 in favor of a plan to license four production plants where marijuana would be grown, packaged and processed. In Chico, a Los Angeles based company (Plant Properties Management LLC) is proposing a 600,000 square foot indoor hydroponic medical marijuana grow. Chico councilman Andy Holcombe was favorable to the idea saying, “If it actually creates jobs and tax revenue, it sounds like a promising business, just like any other business.”
On Sept. 14, the Lake County Board of Supervisors prolonged the moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries.
Pointing to the potential passage of Prop. 19, the county thought it was better to wait until after the November election to address the issue. I think we should address the issue now, before the price of marijuana drops and Lake County is left with an outdated cannabis industry. However, if the county imposes taxes that are too high, people will resort back to the black market. Lake County should be creating ordinances that promote development. Local growers should welcome the county”s involvement in the process, as it would bring in revenue and add legitimacy to their product/medicine.
Yes, I understand the current proposition to legalize marijuana is alarming to many individuals who currently profit in the marijuana black market and the medical marijuana gray market. It is natural to resist this economic trend toward commercialization, but it is irrational not to prepare for it.
The formation of unions would promote development and safe investment.
A union would not only be great for Lake County”s cannabis industry, but also for the Lake County economy. Until then, we will have ambiguous cannabis prescriptions/cards, cartels illegally growing on public and private land, and no tax revenues to fund our government”s ridiculous marijuana enforcement expenditures.
For more information see the following links: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9IBM2CO0.htm, http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2010/08/nations_largest_indoor_pot_grow_proposed_for_chico.php, http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/09/marijuana-initiative-proposition-19-legalization-seiu.html, http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=7539724, http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hZLBYFaEsfHiwcOne9fhw5u1tVuAD9ICGPHG1, http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-05-28/news/21647932_1_tax-cannabis-union-dispensary, http://sfappeal.com/news/2010/05/pot-goes-union-oaksterdam-joins.php.
Robert Schaerges
Lake County
