Even before recreational cannabis became legal in California on Jan. 1, 2018, entrepreneurs eyeing future profits rushed into county offices to secure permits and licenses to get started growing. It was a bit of a free for all—Monterey County included—as local government officials struggled to handle the onslaught.
In the rush, some cannabis companies plunged ahead without all the necessary requirements in place. In the case of Battle Mountain Genetics, growing cannabis on Spence Road in Salinas, company officials didn’t have workers compensation insurance for 20 employees between Jan. 16, 2018, and April 30, 2018, according to a judgement filed in Monterey County Superior Court on June 10 by the state Labor Commissioner’s Office.
The company was ordered to pay a $35,196 penalty for failure to carry the insurance. The state used a formula calculating the weekly workers compensation insurance premium cost multiplied by the number of weeks Battle Mountain Genetics workers were uninsured.
Read more at montereycountyweekly.com
