Humboldt marijuana is known around the world for its quality — and its illicit origins.

But that is changing as California’s new medical marijuana regulations take effect. Not only have state lawmakers clarified the legality of commercial medical pot in black and white language, they’ve order growers to get both state and local permits.

Up in Humboldt County Friday, the region’s marijuana growers lined up for a first crack at licenses to grow money on trees.

Garberville resident Myles Moscato, 25, was the first person through the door and became the first grower in the county to begin the application process. With him were his father Mark Switzer, 46, and great aunt Rain on the Earth, 71, who in total represented three generations of cannabis farmers. “It’s taken 20 years to come up with some rules,” Switzer said. “I think we all know the county really needs them. It’s very nice to have some clarification.”

About 100 growers were expected to apply Friday for permits — which will allow them to cultivate and manufacture medical cannabis and products and distribute them in the state.

“I believe we are the first county in the state to actually open our doors and actually allow people to apply for these types of permits so it is a historic day. We are pretty proud,” Humboldt official Robert Wall told reporters.

Humboldt County’s first pot arrest occurred in 1960. In the 1970s and 1980s, domestic pot production in the remote California county surged in response to the U.S.-led poisoning of Mexican supplies of cannabis with the herbicide paraquat.

Humboldt, Lake and Trinity County became known as the Emerald Triangle — the national leader in high-grade pot production. The Reagan Administration countered with helicopter raids on the remote farms, leading growers to perfect the high-potency indoor-grown cannabis that now dominates the U.S. market.

In other news, Santa Rosa leaders voted Tuesday to license commercial cannabis farming in the city. Oakland, Sacramento, Adelanto, and several other California cities and counties are racing to license cultivators, assure their share of a limited number of state permits, and thereby corner huge parts of the state’s multi- billion-dollar medical pot market.

Here’s a link to Humboldt County’s historic pot permitting process.