Butter & eggs & pot & beer &...

This week falls between events celebrating two industries that represent Petaluma’s past commercial legacy and its potential future.

The Butter & Egg Days events this weekend commemorate the city’s agrarian roots from the early chicken farmers, who put Petaluma on the map as the world’s egg basket, to the later dairy ranchers, who brought Clover, Straus Creamery and others to prominence.

Last Saturday, April 20, or 4/20 in cannabis culture parlance, was the traditional day for growers, sellers and consumers of marijuana to exalt the leafy wonders of the sativa and indica species.

There is no doubt that Petaluma owes its early development to the chicken and the cow, and farmers still form part the city’s economic backbone. But, as a single commodity economy is susceptible to collapse (observe the Rustbelt cities of the Midwest), thankfully Petaluma’s economy has diversified over the years and continues to do so.

In the 1990s, it was the pioneers of Telecom Valley who brought prosperity to Petaluma, founding dozens of tech companies in the Redwood Business Park.

Later, a tiny craft brewery called Lagunitas grew into a multinational sensation, attracting other brewers to the area and turning Petaluma into a haven for beer lovers. With craft beer aficionados came foodies, and now the city is just as widely known for its farm-to-table culinary delights.

Pot is poised to be the next economic engine, though where it will drive Petaluma depends largely on the attitudes and policy of the city’s elected officials.

After California voters legalized recreational cannabis in 2016, cities across the state crafted their own local policies dealing with the drug. Some cities, like Santa Rosa, embraced cannabis - Santa Rosa voters passed an additional cannabis business tax, and the city is about to welcome dozens of new dispensaries.

Meanwhile, Petaluma has taken a more conservative approach to the cannabis industry. Petaluma’s ordinance bans brick-and-mortar dispensaries, but allows up to two delivery services and light manufacturing of cannabis-infused products in certain industrial areas.

The first cannabis delivery company to serve Petaluma, Farmhouse Artisan Market, launched in November and already has a base of 2,000 customers. Many have been purchasing trendy CBD oil, a non-psychoactive compound extracted from cannabis plants. The healing powers of CBD oil have been touted in products from creams to teas and even in burgers.

Petaluma voters overwhelmingly approved legalizing recreational pot, and there is clearly a market here for cannabis. The city won’t get much revenue from a cannabis business tax off of one delivery service, but opening up to multiple dispensaries could give the city’s ailing budget a boost, if future voters approve such a tax.

Mayor Teresa Barrett said during the campaign last year that she was willing to revisit the ordinance that bans cannabis dispensaries. Now would be a good time to start that conversation, especially as legal marijuana has had a chance to take root and has gained mainstream acceptance.

Embracing the cannabis industry in Petaluma could provide a much needed economic stimulus, infusing the city with entrepreneurs and capital and creating jobs.

As we celebrate the heritage of our economic past, let’s keep an eye on our economic future.