The annual march of migrant cannabis workers through the North Coast of California, which is very heavy in marijuana, and similarly to the marijuana industry, there have been mixed feelings about the workers’ appearance.
Some citizens believe that the migrant workers are great contributors to the economy, but others highlight that during marijuana cultivation seasons, there are many complaints about “transients, illegal camping and illegal dumping in their towns,” according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
There are no validated stats on how many seasonal workers are in the underground industry, but experts predict that there are around 7,000 to 12,000 workers who appear during the trimming season, which is from mid-September to the end of November.
Tim Blake is the head of a Laytonville-based marijuana cooperative, and he predicts that there are approximately 150,000 workers in California’s marijuana industry; he also states that each worker spends about $1,000 while they are in Northern California.
“This trimmigrant thing has become huge,” stated Tim Blake, founder of the Emerald Cup, California’s premier annual marijuana judging contest and festival, which will be held on December 12th and 13th at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.
There are currently a large amount of trimming workers, many of which are foreigners, that some are believed to end up on the streets, polluting and camping illegally. Many opposers state that the presence of the workers draws in homeless people who perceive the town as a marijuana-based town.
Gerry Gonzalez, Willits Police Chief, says that there have been many complaints about homeless people in the city during the trimming season, but it does not compare to the problems that Garberville, in southern Humboldt County, is seeing.
“I have been told ‘this is the land of buds and honey’” stated Beth Allen, a Garberville restaurant owner and small-scale medicinal marijuana farmer.
There are homeless people everywhere in Garberville, a small town with a population less than 1,000. As a result, there has been a movement in Garberville to take the town back from the homeless and drug addicts who decide to steal and vandalize homes and businesses. As a result, tourists are being harassed, hard drugs are being done, and the town is being shunned.
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