Verified ‘Trinity’ & ‘Lake’ County California Cannabis Farms

by: David Downs | on September 21, 2018 | No Comments

Learn how to identify and buy authentic heritage cannabis with this three-part series listing the farms of the famed Emerald Triangle. Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity Counties comprise the US’ number one cannabis production region, but the Triangle is roiling as it adapts to California legalization. To better compete in the free market, California farms have exclusive rights to market their county of origin — like “Trinity” — and they’re listed with the state for the first time. Check it out.

Heritage for Sale

More and more consumers want to vote with their dollars for cannabis grown in America’s marijuana heartlands. Now, that’s easier than ever before.

Major brands like Loudpack and Flow Kana are marketing heritage farms
Three counties participate in a pilot program called CalOrigin, that uses tax stamps to verify heritage crops
The California Department of Agriculture is listing farms by county (see below). Falsely advertising Trinity County roots is now illegal.

Heritage farmers are facing steep price declines and massive new costs as a reward for inventing modern cannabis in the Triangle. Comprised of three main counties, Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity, the triangle has produced classics like OG Kush, Granddaddy Purple, and Trainwreck since the ‘80s. We throw Lake in there for good measure, because Lake contributes mightily to regional production.

Counterfeit cannabis brands have long-undercut heritage farms, though. Just like counterfeit Gucci and Prada, counterfeit “Trinity County” is a global, multi-billion dollar business.

Under California legalization Proposition 64, which passed in 2016, all commercial cannabis growers must be licensed and follow rules including not faking your county of origin. Only Trinity County growers can use “Trinity” in their names and packaging. Ditto for Humboldt, Mendocino, and elsewhere.

To support the heartland of cannabis production, look for these farms on dispensary menus. This list comes from the California Department of Food Agriculture’s database of registered cannabis cultivators by county, including: Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity and Lake. We’ll update our heritage county farms list each quarter. *

(*Not all these growers can be found on shelves yet. They have to pass stringent Phase 2 pesticide and pathogen testing screening, among other hurdles.)