Cannabis Odor Control Deadline Ahead

Of the 20 grows in Carpinteria, only two have yet to install odor-control systems, according to Supervisor Das Williams’s office. The ordinance to make systems mandatory for all grows could not be amended in time to be effective by Labor Day, said his aide Darcel Elliott, but if the laggers procrastinate beyond the theoretical deadline, they will face county litigation, likely on grounds of being a public nuisance.

Though the majority of grows are equipped with smell mitigation technology, a barrage of emails to the Independent from members of Concerned Carpinterians assert that lingering and sometimes powerful stinks remain. Neighborhood activist Anna Carrillo reported “the cannabis smells were simply awful” near 3500 Via Real, which lies amid a number of greenhouses that contain a variety of plants. Maureen Claffey detected a “new chemical” smell near Carpinteria High School, the origins of which are uncertain.

But according to Carpinteria School District Superintendent Diana Rigby, “more farms are complying with the odor mitigation requirements, [and] the odor has been significantly reduced in the Carpinteria High School area.” Sally Green, who lives behind the high school, said she hasn’t smelled anything for some time, even when she takes walks near the greenhouses.

As far as the safety of the substances used in the odor-control systems, Supervisor Williams said the county planned to look into it through long-term studies.