Despite spending millions of dollars through its open space program over the past decade to promote farming and ranching, Pitkin County created new rules Wednesday to regulate hemp cultivation.
The county commissioners voted 4-1 to require site-specific, annual review for hemp operations. Hemp is now one of the few agricultural products that the county regulates through its land use code, along with its cannabis cousin marijuana.
The rules establish the zone districts where hemp will be allowed and provides an avenue to neighbors to object to an operation. The Colorado Department of Agricultural will still issue permits for cultivation, but this year the agency will require applicants to indicate they checked in with their local jurisdiction. Pitkin County seized that opportunity to require special review.
The county’s action was spurred by an intense lobbying from some residents of Emma. They objected to the odor created by a field that was cultivated for the first time last year. Cathy Markle, an immediate neighbor of the field, said she wasn’t able to spend time outside because of the odor. She contended there might also be health risks.
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