EXCLUSIVEMeghan Markle’s new Netflix show is filming on cannabis farm at center of feud over intense stench in Carpinteria neighborhood

Meghan Markle will no doubt ooze a glossy image of groomed elegance for the camera while filming her much-anticipated cooking show for Netflix.

But the Duchess of Sussex, accompanied by a 50-strong film crew, may be struck by more than just the aroma of fresh baked goodies as she showcases her kitchen skills.

That’s because one of the two shooting locations chosen for Meghan’s show is a 14-acre cannabis farm.

As recently revealed by DailyMail.com, production is already under way.

Meghan, 42, has so far eschewed filming at the couple’s expansive $14million Montecito mansion, despite having a professional chef’s kitchen and instead  borrowed a smaller yet still imposing 4,500 square foot home just two miles away for her first filming location.

The owners of the $5 million home are philanthropists Tom and Sherrie Cipolla.

But the farm chosen as the second shooting location is mired in controversy, as its owners have created a stink with neighbors over their very fragrant cash crop.

The Van Wingerden family is on one side of what has been dubbed a ‘cannabis war’ that has wealthy residents, schools, and local businesses in the coastal California town of Carpinteria fuming.

The local cannabis cultivators sprung up during the boom in pot production and are now responsible for an intense skunk-like stench that permanently hangs over Carpinteria – a ten-minute drive from Chateau Sussex.

Carpinteria’s celebrity royalty includes Meghan’s friends Kevin Costner – who owns a waterfront estate worth $145million – and Ellen DeGeneres as well as George Lucas who purchased a beach property for $28million in 2019.

The smelly seaside town abuts uber-luxe Montecito where Meghan lives with husband Prince Harry, 39, and their two children Archie, four, and two-year-old Lilibet.

California’s legalization of recreational cannabis turned the Carpinteria Valley and parts of southern Santa Barbara County into one of the biggest pot growing regions in the world.

Local politicians have been accused of being too friendly with pot farms and the farm owners are accused of harming the surrounding vineyards and avocado fields.

In 2019, Santa Barbara County was home to 35% of California’s legally grown cannabis. Today, the area is known as the ‘Cannabis Capital of California.’

And the Van Wingerdens – who are hosting Meghan and her brand-building film shoot – are one of the area’s biggest purveyors of legally produced cannabis.

One of the farming clan’s cannabis properties is called Farmlane, owned and run by David and Cindy Van Wingerden.

David’s father Jerry, originally from the Netherlands, established Westland Floral, producing cut flowers, in Carpinteria in 1971. They diversified into growing marijuana plants in 2015.

The company sells cannabis flowers and pre-rolled cannabis joints.

According to the Farmlane website: ‘We believe cannabis is meant to be enjoyed and shared.

‘We’re committed to using resources efficiently, controlling cannabis odors and emissions, and setting the standard for responsibly-grown premium cannabis flower in Carpinteria.’

In recent years, however, local authorities have been swamped with complaints about the pungent smell from cannabis farms wafting through the town.

Fed up local residents filed 2,340 odor complaints from mid-2018 to 2022.

This has led to lawsuits against the cannabis farmers. Residents say the odor brings on headaches, nausea, and breathing problems.

The Santa Barbara Coalition for Responsible Cannabis is leading the charge to restrict and monitor the industrial-scale cannabis farming that has transformed the local landscape with acre upon acre of marijuana plants.

 

In September, the coalition and a group of residents filed a class-action lawsuit against two pot farms – not Farmlane –  alleging their property values have been severely damaged.

They complain that the farms are emitting a ‘sewer-like’ smell of cannabis.

‘The neighborhood surrounding their property has a thick, heavy, strong stench of cannabis on a near daily basis,’ the lawsuit states.

It alleges that two farms have failed to install effective odor fighting state-of-the-art clean-air technology. 

The lawsuit adds that the plaintiffs ‘want relief from the awful smells and noxious odors and chemicals that they are being assaulted with on a daily basis in their homes.’

‘Odor abatement’ technologies such as ‘vapor misting’ – pumping neutralizing fragrant scents into the air that smell like Febreze – are criticized as woefully ineffective at removing the cannabis smell.

There is more support for ‘carbon scrubbing’ machines which can be installed in greenhouses where the cannabis crops grow and are more effective.

‘It’s tough living near a cannabis farm’ Jules Nau, Carpinteria resident and Coalition board member, tells DailyMail.com.

‘There are days when I wake up and my whole house stinks like weed.

‘It’s as if they’re growing the stuff inside my house. It gets on your clothes, your belongings, everything. And when you walk out, then you smell like it, too.

‘My kids have had issues with their allergies that they never had before. No one should have to deal with that. Particularly when there are solutions out there to clean this up.’

Coalition board member Lionel Neff wrote an Op-Ed last year in the Santa Barbara Independent, saying: ‘The flagrant dismissal of superior odor abatement technologies makes it clear that decision-makers at the County are simply ignoring the science.

‘We hope to see carbon scrubbers required for all Carpinteria cannabis. Anything less is our local government’s failure to stop a very preventable nuisance.’

Meghan will serve as executive producer of her new show which is intended to ‘celebrate the joys of cooking and gardening, entertaining and friendship.’

The series will be directed by Michael Steed, who worked on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. 

The showrunner is Leah Hariton, who was a producer on Selena Gomez’s Selena + Chef cooking show on HBO.

DailyMail.com was the first to report last month that Meghan intends to sell an incredible array of household products with her American Riviera Orchard company. 

The endless list of products includes skin care, make-up, gardening equipment, scented candles and even dog food.

Meanwhile, how will Meghan cope with the pervasive stink while in Carpinteria?

And Prince Harry has his own  potential problems brought on by his past drug use., which he admitted in his 2023 memoir Spare.

He said cannabis helped heal the trauma brought on by the death of his mother Princess Diana and he also admitted using cocaine and psychedelic mushrooms.

The conservative Heritage Foundation filed a lawsuit demanding that the Prince’s visa application to be made public to see if he was truthful when he answered questions about drug use.

There is no word yet on whether Meghan will be offering cannabis infused products to her list of home essentials for sale.

According to cannabis business website MJBizDaily, a slew of celebrities have already lent their name to various cannabis products, including Megan’s Montecito neighbor Gwyneth Paltrow.

Others include Seth Rogan, Mike Tyson, Jay-Z, Bella Thorne, and Justin Bieber.