“Historic” is how one of the biggest cannabis operators in the Carpinteria Valley — Headwaters — and the chief attorney representing Carpinteria residents complaining about that industry’s odor issues — Mark Chytilo — described an accord reached last week. It will bind 20 area greenhouse growers to use the best available technology for detecting and mitigating cannabis odor leaks. That technology includes carbon filters — long sought by the Coalition for Responsible Cannabis and long resisted as infeasible by many cannabis growers affiliated with CARP Growers. The new deal is between these long-feuding entities. Currently, most but not all Carpinteria greenhouses are equipped with vapor misting systems that purportedly change the molecular structure of airborne cannabis scents so that the human nose or brain can no longer detect them. Concerned Carpinterians have long objected that the vapor systems don’t work, sometimes stink worse that the cannabis, and are of a disturbingly unknown chemical origin. The new deal reportedly requires both sides to work together to further research and determine what systems actually work. Currently, a four-month test run on a carbon filtration system — which supposedly captures the odors before they escape — is now underway.
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