Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s life in their idyllic £11 million Montecito home is being overshadowed by an “intolerable” issue plaguing their Californian beach town.
The couple, who moved to the US four years ago after stepping down from royal duties, are facing an ongoing problem with the overwhelming scent of cannabis, which has been affecting residents in the surrounding area.
The Santa Barbara county is now cracking down on cannabis farms after receiving over 2,500 complaints since 2020, with many locals in nearby Carpinteria Valley describing the smell as unbearable.
Despite studies downplaying the scent’s intensity, residents are demanding solutions, including the installation of carbon filter scrubbers to neutralize the stench.
The planning commission is set to hold a special hearing in January to determine an official threshold for the odor, with tensions rising over the ongoing disruption.
The growing cannabis industry in California is causing frustration for residents, including those living near Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s £11 million Montecito home.
Following the legalization of recreational marijuana in 2016, many former agricultural sites, including grape and avocado farms, have switched to cannabis production.
The increase in farms has led to an escalating problem with “noxious” odors, which have become so intense that some locals are demanding a halt to new permits and licenses for cannabis sites.
In fact, a neighbor of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently filed a lawsuit against two local cannabis farms, claiming the stench was so overwhelming he mistook it for something “having died in the basement.”
The issue is not unique to Montecito; reports from across the state, including in The Sacramento Bee, reveal similar complaints.
Kathy Ripley, a resident of Sutter County, described the relentless smell as “like there’s a skunk in your backyard spraying constantly.”
