Four cannabis growers in Carpinteria were recently hit with a class-action lawsuit by angry residents who claims the marijuana operators are ruining their lives.
Four cannabis growers recently came under fire in a class-action lawsuit filed by three Carpinteria residents, Gregory Gandrud, Marllus Grandrug and Paul Ekstrom, over allegations that the “marijuana operators have decimated the tranquil nature of Carpinteria and destroyed their lives.” Filed in Santa Barbara Superior Court on February 27, the suit lists cannabis growers Ever-Bloom, Ednigma, Melodious Plots, and Saga Farms as defendants.
According to the complaint, residents living within 4,500 feet of certain cannabis growing operations are represented in the suit. The suit also spotlights complaints from residents that the “cannabis operators have violated laws on private nuisance, public nuisance, violations of business and professions code and trespass,” according to Robert A. Curtis. Curtis is an attorney with Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis and is representing the plaintiffs. He said:
“This is what happens when the government fails to do its job and protect its citizens. The Santa Barbara County government has allowed cannabis growers to come into the county and run wild, thereby destroying the quality of life that these residents of the Central Coast have enjoyed for years. They can’t sleep. They can’t walk outside. They can’t entertain certain friends. This is devastating.”
The suit further points out that the plaintiffs are not necessarily anti-cannabis and that they “recognize the use of cannabis may benefit certain medical conditions and result in tax generation for the local and state economies.” It further states:
“However, when commercial cannabis operations are placed less than a mile from densely populated areas including schools and parks, and when cannabis is grown in aging greenhouses that vent directly to the outside air – unfortunately, major problems arise. The main goal of this lawsuit is not money. These residents simply want relief from the awful smells and noxious odors and chemicals that they are being assaulted with on a daily basis in their homes.”
As a result of the smells and other unpleasantries, the plaintiffs are asking the defendants to “seal their greenhouses and use carbon-based filtration methods to ensure that no odors or chemicals from the vapor-phase systems extend past the Defendants’ property line,” according to the lawsuit. Unfortunately, the suit argues the defendants have shown little concern for the resident’s concerns.
One of the plaintiffs, the Gandruds, claims that living so close to one of the cannabis operations has “severely affected the enjoyment of their property and has negatively impacted their health.” Additionally, they have “been trying to sell their home but have not received a single offer, and several potential buyers have expressed disinterest due directly to the proximity to Defendants’ cannabis operations and the noxious odors,” according to the suit.
Sources:
Carp residents file lawsuit against pot growers
CARPINTERIA RESIDENTS SUE NEIGHBORING MARIJUANA GROWERS OVER SMELL
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