Amidst agricultural fields of tomatoes, sunflowers, and alfalfa, a small Woodland farm is openly growing hundreds of cannabis plants. This legal medicinal marijuana grow belongs to Yolo Organic Botanicals, and they are setting a precedent for cannabis growers in the state. Most of California's largest crop is grown clandestinely to avoid Law Enforcement. By growing in the open, with strict adherence to legal statutes and requirements, and promoting their organic and sustainable practices to the community, Yolo Organic Botanicals hopes to turn Yolo County into the Napa of Weed. Yolo Organic Botanicals members include commercial farmers, arborists, UC Davis Ag alums, medical marijuana patients, and retired Department of Agriculture experts – pillars of this rural community. The group is committed to providing the highest quality medicinal crop for patients in California using optimum growing conditions, certified strains, sustainable protocols, and sharing their knowledge with other growers. Their first harvest is blooming now. The group complies with and exceeds Clean Green organic certification, and works with paralegal Heidi Grossman for documentation and organization. Establishing an open, legitimate, legal, safe operation is key to their goals.
The legal medical cannabis farm has information for Law Enforcement written by Mr. Tully posted around the property.
John Wright is the farm's property owner. “A lot of people are in the shadows growing marijuana,” he said. “It is a war zone and we want to help clean that up.” To that end, Wright has invited community members and law enforcement officials to tour the medicinal garden. As a result, Sheriff Deputies have expanded their patrols to make sure there are no security problems.
Though medical marijuana is legal in California, cultivators of every size often fear raids and arrest. The group retained successful cannabis criminal defense attorney Joseph M. Tully to establish preventative measures against raid or arrest. Attorney Tully advised on compliance, specific signage, posted declarations, and even a banner visible to helicopters, to announce the medical marijuana grow's legitimacy, in an attempt to remove probable cause by law enforcement.
“An open, compliant, posted medicinal marijuana grow should not be a target for law enforcement,” Tully stated. “I will defend cultivator's rights aggressively. There are violent bad guys out there who deserve police attention, not these legal, peaceful organic farmers.”
