Since California legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, licensed growers in Monterey County have been under a roof. Now, full-sun cultivation, where the crop is grown entirely outdoors, is entering the picture.
The Monterey County Cannabis Program announced plans to work with John Cumming, a farmer in South County, who is seeking approval as the county’s first fully outdoor commercial cannabis grower.
“The project is moving along,” Cumming said at a County Board of Supervisors Cannabis Committee meeting on July 31. “With any luck, this is going to come off the ground here pretty quickly.”
The news comes alongside growing pains for new cannabis operators as they try to enter the legal market, a trend reflected in data shared at the meeting. There are currently 53 active commercial cannabis businesses in the unincorporated county (excluding cities), eight dispensaries and 45 cultivators. The program is also working with 11 potential new businesses. Since March, six businesses have closed.
Michelle House, who leads the Cannabis Program, says the rapidly evolving nature of the industry impacts the ability to build and establish sustainable business models. “Because it is so new, it changes all the time,” she says. “The face of this will [likely] be totally different in three months.”
High upfront costs, land preparation, regulatory requirements involving multiple agencies and shifting supply chains still compound one another as barriers to entry. Add to that, House says, are the ongoing challenges with the illegal market and lingering taboos attached to cannabis’ federal classification as a Schedule I substance.
Cannabis land use permits have declined over the years, from 22 new permits in fiscal year 2021-22 to five two years later. No new cannabis land use permits were approved in 2024-25.
House attributes this decline to the recycling of permits on existing parcels rather than issuing new ones. “Cannabis runs with the land… when a farm closes and a new farm comes on board, there’s not a new [permit], so you’re not going to see that number grow now over these last few years.”
Looking forward, she remains optimistic. She says there are innovative additions, like microbusinesses and onsite consumption, they are exploring.
“There are lots of things that have to happen to get a business up and going,” she says. “I’m trying to think out of the box for ways for people to grow their business.”