California Residents Sue Nearby Cannabis Growers Over Smell

The smell of marijuana has driven some residents of the Southern California city of Carpinteria to sue local growers.

The lawsuit filed last week contends the growers should seal their greenhouses and use “carbon-based filtration methods,” KEYT-TV reported.

The suit claims that so-called vapor-phase systems currently in use to mitigate odors cause eye irritation and worsen allergies and asthma.

“We’ve been breathing this brew of chemicals for the last two and a half years,” said plaintiff Greg Gandrud.

Greenhouses that grew flowers before California legalized recreational cannabis are less than 100 feet from the windows and backyards of some of the plaintiffs.

Gandrud said the marijuana smell scares away prospective buyers for his house, which has been on the market over the past two years.

The lawsuit states that the residents would likely dismiss or settle the action if the greenhouses change filtration systems and the odor improves.

KEYT reported that a representative of the growers said they had not been served with the lawsuit as of Thursday night and did not have a response.

Carpinteria is a small seaside community in south Santa Barbara County.