In response to the devastating impacts of the 2017 California wildfires on cannabis farmers in the Golden State, Cannabis Business Times (CBT) is partnering with the California Growers Association (CGA) to help raise relief funds for distressed cultivators.
For every registration to Cannabis 2018: Cultivation Conference, held from March 12-14 at the Oakland Marriott City Center, CBT will donate $10 to the CGA Wildfire Recovery Fund. CBT will donate up to $10,000 of its attendance revenue of this event to assist growers whose businesses were negatively impacted by last year’s wildfires.
According to a report in the Sacramento Bee, last year’s wildfire season was the costliest in the state’s history. More than 1.3 million acres of land were destroyed by the more than 9,000 individual fires that burned. The fires heavily affected cannabis cultivators in the Los Angeles area, as well as those settled in and around Napa and Sonoma counties. However, very few parts of the state were left unaffected.
“Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary have always been about helping cannabis business owners succeed,” says Noelle Skodzinski, Editorial Director for CBT and Cannabis Dispensary (CD). “When we saw farms and businesses struggle to get back on their feet after last year’s disastrous fires, we wanted to help in any way we could.”
“From offering insightful and unique content in print and online to the Cannabis 2018: Cultivation Conference, we have always been, and always will be, committed to the long-term success of this industry and its business owners. This effort to assist cultivators through the CGA's Wildfire Relief Fund is one more example reflecting our dedication to the cannabis market,” says CBT and CD Publisher Jim Gilbride.
The Wildfire Recovery Fund aims to help cannabis cultivators without much recourse to other relief funds. Cannabis farmers don’t qualify for crop insurance like other farmers, nor do they have access to loans or federal relief funds like other industries, according to the fund’s website.
Its mission is to help growers and their communities throughout California recover from and adapt to wildfire.
The priority objectives are:
• Ensure that not a single grower fails to get a license because of wildfire-related hardship
• Coordinate industry and nationwide efforts to ensure the most effective use of funds
• Maintain strong relationships with donors and strengthen relationships between partner organizations
People interested in contributing to the Wildfire Relief Fund can do so here and by attending Cannabis 2018: Cultivation Conference.
About CBT/CD
Cannabis Business Times is a trade magazine covering the legal commercial cannabis cultivation industry in publication since November 2015. The team behind CBT launched its newest publication, Cannabis Dispensary, which focuses on the retail side of the cannabis market, in November 2017.
