PHILADELPHIA _ A marijuana growing facility in a small Pennsylvania town reeks so intensely that many neighbors say they can't open their windows in the summer without feeling sick.
The acrid stench from Standard Farms' greenhouses can be detected up to a half-mile across the Luzerne County community of White Haven. Complaints were routine at borough meetings, minutes show. Several neighbors claim they have struggled to sell their houses _ as their property values crashed _ since the marijuana producer moved into the tiny Poconos hamlet.
"I open my back door and you'd think there was 20 skunks in my garage," said nearby resident Doreen Ackers. "It takes your breath away."
That's not all that smells bad in White Haven.
Three former Standard Farms executives claim the company violated state laws and skirted regulations. They allege that the company used banned pesticides, illegally imported seeds and clones, recycled returned product that should have been destroyed, and asked its employees to perjure themselves on legal documents.
"I wasn't going to go to jail for lying," said former executive Lisa Pabon.
A company representative said that "Standard Farms refutes all of these allegations as being untrue. The company believes the source of these comments may be coming from a disgruntled employee."
Standard Farms was founded by two former hedge fund executives from New York City with no agricultural or horticultural experience. It says it's now the largest employer in White Haven, population 1,097. Standard Farms employs about 20 full-timers and claims more than 50 part-time employees.
The company says it's a good corporate citizen. It was named "Best Business of the Year" in 2019 by the Greater White Haven Chamber of Commerce. (The "Outstanding Business Award," which appears to carry more cachet, was awarded to Renee's Cold Cut Hut.)
Nearly two years ago, Standard Farms began growing medical marijuana in White Haven. The company was one of the first 12 awarded a permit by the state Department of Health. The firm is now a division of a multinational weed conglomerate called Tilt Holdings, based in Boston and Toronto.
Claiming ethical lapses at the company, several executives have left the company rather than risk their professional reputations, they said. One would-be whistleblower tried to alert the state health department to potential health risks at Standard Farms. But she couldn't get anyone at the department to take her calls or reply to her Facebook messages, she said.
As the legislature mulls legalizing recreational use, two former Standard Farms executives question whether the state can police an industry poised for the huge growth that legalization would bring. They say what has happened in White Haven should serve as a warning.
