Robin Abcarian: One small cannabis grower's survival plan? To be the best
Six years ago, just weeks before California voters legalized cannabis for adult recreational use, I visited a couple named Swami Chaitanya and Nikki Lastreto in a remote part of Mendocino County, where they've grown high-quality, organic cannabis for the medical marijuana market since 2003.
We sat in the rustic living room of their sprawling wood home shaded by giant Douglas firs. As we spoke, Chaitanya, who is old school when it comes to cannabis consumption, lighted a joint.
What, I asked, is going to happen to small growers like you after California opens the floodgates to recreational use? Won't big companies with rich investors drive you
