"It’s been four years since California’s voters decided to legalize adult-use cannabis.Though the bill was passed in 2016, the market didn’t truly kickoff until January 1, 2018. In that time, the state has gone from taking two years to amass $1 billion collected in taxes (a figure which does not include locally imposed taxes) to accomplishing the feat in one calendar year.That such a year would also occur in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic? It seems like all the more reason to back legal cannabis and reap the rewards. And in cities and counties across California, that’s exactly what’s happened. Unfortunately, for growers in Sonoma County — the NorCal region reputed for its world-class vineyards — the process has been painfully slow.According to Sam De La Paz, vice-president of Hessel Farmers Grange, back when the process cultivation permitting started, Sonoma County was projecting as many as 8000 initial applicants.“But only 200 showed up,” he explained, “because within Sonoma County, there was a massive, massive backlash from a small sect of what we call NIMBYs.”In this case, the term (an acronym for “Not in My Backyard”) specifically refers to Save Our Sonoma Neighborhoods, a citizen advisory group that has fought the ability of local cannabis growers to put plants in the ground. ..."Read the full article by Zack Ruskin at Bloom & Oil.