How to stay safer in the hills: some tips

HUMBOLDT CO., 112/16 — Recently a gathering of community organizers, social services employees, and cannabis workers met in Redway to discuss a vital but unpleasant topic: the safety of female cannabis trimmers in the hills. Though it’s something we don’t always like to be upfront about in the Emerald Triangle, cannabis workers — and particularly women — are often vulnerable to exploitation, sexual abuse, or assault while working on remote, debatably legal farms. Last month an article in Reveal, by Shoshana Walter, brought national attention to some of these issues by highlighting certain cases of sexual assault in the region. Since then the question of how to address and improve trimmer safety has been widely discussed.

At the October 26 meeting at the Southern Humboldt Family Resource Center in Redway, sociologist and harm reduction worker Brandie Wilson and Redwood Women’s Foundation Michelle Hood led a discussion on safety strategies for female cannabis workers — whether year-round residents, or travelers here for the season. The Redway meeting followed an earlier event held in Eureka this month, where the women focused on empowering female trimmers using harm reduction strategies and general “common sense.”