Depending on where you live and what direction the wind blows, the smell of cannabis growers is ruining some neighborhoods, according to Rep. Jedidiah Hinkle, R-Belgrade, who wants cannabis cultivators to install air filtration systems, so the smell of cannabis doesn’t seep out into other areas.
Hinkle said that some areas in the state, especially in Four Corners in Gallatin County, are overrun with the smell of cannabis being grown. The strong smell isn’t associated with any health risks, and most “grow operations” are located in rural areas, by design. However, Hinkle said the smell is driving some from the rural areas because they can’t even open their windows without smelling like a cannabis dispensary.
Last week growers, sellers, and cannabis industry representatives turned out to speak against House Bill 304, which would require the odor to be contained indoors. They said that many operations are already located in rural areas where farming, manufacturing, and other businesses can give olfactory offense.
Moreover, they pointed out that while 22,000 acres of hemp are grown in Montana, that smell is identical to the odor of cannabis – the only difference is that hemp doesn’t contain tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the chemical that produces the high or euphoric feeling. Meanwhile, Montana has around 40 acres of space dedicated to commercial cannabis farming, most of it indoors. They said that the state would not dream of regulating hemp farms, nor has anyone complained.
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