Meghan Markle's shooting location for her new Netflix show could be "a 14-acre cannabis farm", it has been claimed.
The series will see the Duchess of Sussex celebrate the "joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining, and friendship".
The mother-of-two is not filming the programme at her Montecito mansion, instead choosing a smaller 4,500 square-foot home two miles away. The owners of the home are philanthropists Tom and Sherrie Cipolla.
The second shooting location for Meghan's Netflix show has been mired in controversy, according to reports in The Mail.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry both have upcoming Netflix shows
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Its owners, the Van Wingerden family, have been locked in a "cannabis war" that has angered wealthy residents, schools, and local businesses in Carpinteria, California.
The local cannabis cultivators are being held responsible for the strong stench that permanently hangs over Carpinteria, a 10-minute drive from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's home.
Carpinteria's celebrity royalty includes Meghan's friends Kevin Costner, Ellen DeGeneres and George Lucas.
In contrast, Meghan lives with her husband Prince Harry, 39, and their two children Archie, four, and two-year-old Lilibet in Montecito.
Duke of Sussex seen playing polo in 2022 in Carpinteria, California
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California's legalisation of recreational cannabis turned the Carpinteria Valley and parts of southern Santa Barbara County into one of the biggest cannabis-growing regions in the world.
Local politicians have been accused of being too friendly with these cannabis farms, and the farm owners are accused of harming the surrounding vineyards and avocado fields.
In 2019, Santa Barbara County was home to 35 per cent of California's legally grown cannabis.
Today, the area is known as the "Cannabis Capital of California".
One of the largest outdoor legal marijuana grow operations in Santa Barbara County
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NetflixThe Van Wingerdens, who are hosting Meghan and her Netflix crew, are one of the area's biggest purveyors of legally produced cannabis.
In recent years, however, local authorities have been swamped with complaints about the pungent smell from cannabis farms.
Local residents filed 2,340 odor complaints from mid-2018 to 2022. This led to lawsuits against the cannabis farmers. Residents say the odour causes 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.
GB News has approached the Duchess of Sussex's representatives for comment.
