Crowdfunding site shuts down campaign for California cannabis farm fire victims
An online payment company has shut down a fundraising campaign set up to support cannabis cultivators whove been impacted by the deadly wildfires in Northern California, saying marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
WePay, which processes payments for the crowdfunding site YouCaring.com, is refusing to pass along more than $13,000 in donations the California Growers Association has raised for affected families.
Weve got folks who have needs who we would like to start like to start helping, Hezekiah Allen, director of the growers association and organizer of the fundraising campaign, saidTuesday. Were still hopeful that theyll process those payments. Were waiting with fingers crossed.
Dozens of people remain missing after a series of wildfires scorched more than 200,000 acres in Northern California over the past week, killing at least 41 people and destroying an estimated 6,000 homes and businesses.
While he hasnt heard of any deaths within the cannabis community, Allen called the impact to the industry unprecedented all while farmers are already scrambling to comply with evolving state laws that will kick inJan. 1.
He said theyre aware of a few dozen cannabis growers facing devastation, as theyve lost their homes, their farms or both. And he expects that number to grow substantially as evacuation orders are lifted and people are able to assess the damages.
The growers association launched its first fundraising campaign a week ago on YouCaring calledMendoFire: CalGrowers Wildfire Relief Fund, and they quickly blew past the initial goal of raising $5,000 to support impacted Mendocino County farmers.
As they learned that growers in at least six counties had been affected, Allen said they decided to launch a second campaign with a broader focus. TheCalGrowers Wildfire Recovery Fundwent live six days ago, with $13,335 raised from 88 donors.
The MendoFire campaign is still up and going. Buton Monday, Allen received an email from the company letting him know that his CalGrowers campaign violated their terms of service and wouldnt be allowed to continue. Soon, he heard from a few donors who said their contributions had been refunded.
YouCaring spokesman Austin Kapur said his company supports all forms of treatment and most fundraiser types. But he said in an email that their payment providers, WePay and PayPal, do not allow fundraisers for anything marijuana-related, including for medical reasons due to federal law. He said that includes anything cannabis-related, even in states where the industry is legal.
WePay is handling the growers association campaign. Company spokesman Jeremy Milk emailed this statement: To comply with federal law and related government notices, WePays bank and card association partners prohibit us from processing payments related to marijuana. This means we can process payments for campaigns to support growers families, but not to support their cannabis crops.
Allen said his association has formed a committee with representatives from different counties to help determine how funds will be dispersed. But while they intend to help farmers make mortgage payments, replace damaged equipment, rebuild their homes and more, Allen said there is no plan to use donor funds to buy marijuana seeds or plants.
