Long-held fears of a corporate takeover of cannabis agriculture bubbled to the surface Friday, a day after the state released detailed regulations for what has historically been a loosey-goosey trade populated by small backwoods farmers.

The rules for the growth, distribution and sale of marijuana in California, written by three licensing agencies — the Department of Health, Department of Food and Agriculture and the Bureau of Cannabis Control — do not limit the number of licenses a grower could get or the total acreage one could farm.

Small growers were counting on the state to set limits, which they reckoned would give them a chance to get a foothold before the big operators moved in. They had hoped for a cap of 5 acres per farmer for the first five years.

– Read the entire article at SF Chronicle.