What Happens When the Law Says ‘No’ to Women, Wellness, and the Earth

Why We Have to Reduce Inventory and Have No Predictions for a ‘Back In Stock’ Date

New laws passed quietly, behind closed doors. 

The law that is forcing us to shrink is an emergency regulation that was signed into law behind closed door with Governor Newsom and two representatives of the California Public Health Department at the end of October, last year.

We knew immediately it would devastate small farms like ours. We began fighting back the moment it was announced — but it took six months to get a meeting with the Senator of Agriculture, and then another four months before she could get a meeting with the California Department of Public Health.

When we finally got that meeting, Maral Farsi of CDPH — the person responsible for legislative affairs, showed up late, left early, and treated Senator Caballero with open contempt. That’s how much the California Public Health Department cares about small farmers, women-led businesses, and the people who rely on our products.  She also withheld a significant amount of information and also shared some information that was contrary to what I was told in writing by the public health department, but let’s not digress. The point is, she could not be painted as either interested or caring, no matter how hard one would try.

What’s happening here is not just bad governance.  It’s a big swoop by a small, but powerful lobby group.   It’s a hostile takeover of the small-farm wellness industry and a barrier to anyone thinking about coming to California to start a business in the hemp industry, a barrier to anyone in California wanting to engage in the hemp industry.  It leaves it all for those few guys who coordinated the coup, or the lobby interests behind them.  (It’s all the same.)

What We’re Losing

Because of these laws — and the domino effect they’ve triggered — we are being forced to let the following beloved products — products we spent a lot of time and money developing, testing, and bringing to market — run out of stock.  These are the wellness products going out of stock:

All CBD Oil Drops
Colorado ten-year supplier of concentrates reluctant to ship into the state now.

All Gelcaps
Same as with the oils, supply chain interrupted by hostile emergency regulations.

All Pet Oils
Sales no longer cover license fees

All Soaps and Sprays
Reductions in staff; no labor for production as a result of the other things that happened that affected our sales after the emergency order went into effect.

When or if we will be able to put these products back in stock remains uncertain.  It’s in the hands of the Goddess, or perhaps in the hands of you — our activist followers.

This Isn’t About Hemp — It’s About Power: It’s About Who Governs the Land

We had investors ready to grow with us — until the law passed.  We spent six months getting approved for Apple Pay — only to learn we can’t use it because of this law.  We had trusted vendors and suppliers — now they’re barred from legally working with us.

We had our Better Business Bureau status yanked as soon as the law passed.  We our uncertain if our banking and online store services will continue to support us.

These emergency laws did not target bad actors. They are targeting the most compliant, transparent, women-led, small farming, responsible farming, state-licensed operations — and making it impossible for us to function.

They Didn’t Burn Witches, They Burned  Women Who Did Stuff or Had Stuff

Centuries ago, women who healed with herbs were called witches and stripped of their lands.  Today, we’re still being stripped — but now it’s done through licensing fees, legal reclassification, and the weaponization of bureaucracy.

This law is a wolf in hemp’s clothing — and we are its prey.‘The witch trials aren’t in our rearview mirror. They’re riding shotgun —  and they’re still trying to grab the wheel.’

What We’ve Done So Far

When the California Department of Public Health tried to keep public comments under the radar, we blew it open with a press release that reverberated through thousands of media outlets across North America and Europe.

We sent our official letter to the Public Health Department — and we published instructions so others could do the same, including which bill numbers to reference and where to send them.

Just this past weekend, we filed a public records request for all emails, documents, and communications involved in the creation of both the emergency bill (DPH-25-005) and its permanent companion legislation (AB8).  Then we showed our supporters how to file their own records requests — because this process should not be hidden from the people it harms.

And today, we release this article and our video appeal — revealing how we are being forced to pivot, shrink, and downsize just to stay legal — and call on you to join us in the next round of this fight.

We won’t stop.  Not until this war on small farms, this war on plant-based healing, this war on women — stops.

You Can Help Us Fight Back — and Build a Case for the Future

Let’s be honest: They’ve stacked the deck. The California Department of Public Health quietly pushed this emergency regulation through in October, without input from the public, and before any hearings were even scheduled. That alone should tell you whose interests are being served.

The public hearing on July 28 — now finally on the calendar — will be held virtually, and it’s our one chance to show up in numbers and make our opposition loud and visible.

Will they pass the regulation anyway? Probably.  But here’s why we still have to show up:  Every objection, every email, every comment becomes evidence.

If we want to challenge this in court or demand repeal, we have to prove we spoke up — and that they ignored the will of the people.

This is not a one-and-done fight for them.  This is a multi-step battle, and right now we need to create the record that will carry us into the next round.  You need to be part of creating that public record of resistance to this ‘big swoop’.

Step 1: Send an Email

Be sure to reference:  DPH‑24‑005 or AB8

Most Critical Contact (by July 28^th, Public Comments Close That Day!)

California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
General Email: regulations@cdph.ca.gov or write P.O. Box 997377, MS 0507
Sacramento, CA 95899-7377

Governor Gavin Newsom’s Office – https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/govcontact/ or write:  The Honorable Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, 1021 O Street, Suite 9000, Sacramento, CA 95814

Bill Jones, Deputy Director of Enforcement, Department of Cannabis Control, 1020 N Street, Suite 301, Sacramento, CA 95814, Won’t make his email address public —  Try either one of these:  MCSB@cdph.ca.gov or PublicAffairs@cdph.ca.gov

RE: Opposition to AB 8 and DPH-24-005 — Protect California’s Hemp Industry

Even a few sentences count. Tell them you support small farms, plant-based wellness, and oppose DPH-25-005 and AB8 implementation.

Step 2: Join the Public Comments Session on Monday July 28 @ 10 a.m. Pacific Time

Virtual Public Hearing July 28, 2025 @ 10:00 a.m. PT  Join via Zoom:

https://cdph-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/818135213
Meeting ID: 818 135 213
Dial-in Option: +1 669 900 9128 (then enter Meeting ID)

Your voice helps build the case.  This is bigger than one hearing. This is about building the public record. If they won’t listen now, they’ll have to listen later, where our evidence of resistance goes before a judge.

We aren’t just losing products — we’re losing ground.  We’re losing our ability to do what we do best, serve people who are in chronic pain with natural remedies.  It’s not all about us, though.  This is a big issue, affecting small farms, the environment, and definitely, we all need to act to deter the corruption.

Please take action, now.

In sisterhood, in brotherhood, and in resistance,
Sister Kate & the Sisters of the Valley