Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s beach town in California is among parts of the state continuing to suffer from a scourge of cannabis farms creating “intolerable” smells, according to reports.
The couple, who moved to the US four years ago after stepping down from their duties as senior royals, live in an £11 million home in Montecito with their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet – but life in the celebrity enclave may not be as idyllic as you would imagine.
Santa Barbara county authorities are in the process of cracking down on excessive cannabis odours throughout the region after more than 2,500 complaints since 2020, according to local outlet the Montecito Journal.
Although odour strength studies have downplayed the level of cannabis detectable in local air, residents in Carpinteria Valley, a small seaside town eight miles outside Montecito, have described the stench as “intolerable”, reports the Journal.
They are also calling for “carbon filter scrubbers to neutralise odours” in the air, but the Santa Barbara planning commission wants to first establish an “objective threshold” for the smell before a special hearing on the problem in January.
Residents have also called for a halt on new permits and licences being issued for cannabis sites, which rose in number after recreational marijuana was legalised in 2016, with farms previously used to grow produce including grapes and avocados pivoting to meet the growing demand.
The Mail reported in May, that a neighbour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had brought a lawsuit against two farms after noticing a “noxious” smell he initially thought was due to “something (having) died in the basement”.
The issue, which appears to be plaguing large parts of California, has also been reported in other local outlets including The Sacramento Bee. Kathy Ripley, who lives in Sutter County, told the publication: “It’s like there’s a skunk in your backyard spraying constantly.”
While the Californian Department of Cannabis Control regulates production of the substance, decisions about restrictions on large-scale sites fall to local authorities – and are unlikely to have speedy solutions as a result.
It’s unknown whether Harry and Meghan are aware of the ongoing issue or how it is impacting their 18,000-square-foot, nine-bedroom mansion, which boasts Italianate architecture and a pool, cinema room and gym.
Shortly after the couple moved across the pond, then managing editor of the Montecito Journal Zach Rosen told Express US that they tended to keep to themselves rather than get involved in local discourse. He said: “We probably feel the media presence more than their presence.”
He added: “We’re usually taking the stance that these are our community members and we do want to respect their privacy.”
