Monterey County represents a lot of things to a lot of different people. For some, Monterey evokes visions of epic surf, world-class golf, and shamefully expensive car shows. For others, it’s all about the hedonistic pleasure of fine dining and lounging around their multi-million-dollar “cottages.” But for some, Monterey County and the Salinas Valley are all about cultivating legal cannabis and building a sustainable business model for California’s fast-growing marijuana industry.
First made famous by John Steinbeck in the early 1960s as the backdrop for such literary masterpieces as “The Grapes of Wrath” and “East of Eden,” Monterey County has deep roots in the agricultural world. At the heart of the nation’s most populous state, the Salinas Valley enjoys a moderate coastal influence, dark alluvial soil, and a central distribution hub in California for all things agricultural.
As a kid in the early 70s, I clearly remember a huge ‘Cannabis Row’ graffiti tag over what is now the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Painted on the wall near Doc Ricketts’ lab, it was meant as a 420-tribute to Steinbeck’s “Cannery Row.” That graffiti, as it turns out, was an omen of things to come for Monterey County and the Salinas Valley.
credit:marijuana.com
