Two self-proclaimed nuns, Sister Kate and Sister Darcey, grow and sell marijuana for medicinal purposes in Merced, California. But the future of their business is now in jeopardy as the Merced City Council issued a temporary ban on marijuana cultivation after a 6-0 vote on Jan. 4.
The Sisters of the Valley are a sisterhood who are not Catholic or traditionally religious, but consider themselves nuns. The licensed medical marijuana growers grow the plants in accordance with lunar cycles and create organic health remedies to treat back pain , migraines and even hangovers.
The sisters grow at capacity (12 plants) in a makeshift greenhouse on their property. While their bud looks typical, there’s some magic in the medicine-making process.
According to the sisters, they make the medicine based on “ancient ritual,” which involves turning their cannabis tinctures every morning and night, only bottling tinctures during a full moon and saying a healing prayer over every bottle and jar before it’s sold.
Until last week, Sisters of the Valley ran a wildly successful store selling cannabis products on Etsy, netting sales as high as $40,000 a month. The sisters anticipated raking in between $400,000 and $500,000 in 2016, though most of the profit would be reinvested in product to make larger batches.
But even though the nuns have made money from the enterprise, they are now under threat after Etsy withdrew their shop from online.
“We had a dream of living a simple life, making our medicines on a quiet farm, in a spiritual environment, and being self-sustaining,” they explain on a GoFundMe site set up to raise money to help save their business.
According to them, Etsy say they have removed the shop because the sisters make health claims about their products, and it’s meant their cashflow has been temporarily halted.
“It’s very high in demand from cancer patients right now. And we make a salve that’s a multi-purpose salve, but we found out it cures migraines, hangovers, earaches, toothaches and diaper rash.”
The sisters are preparing for battle. Sister Kate is planning to start a call-in campaigns across the Central Valley, urging growers and customers to flood city council members with phone calls every Friday until they come up with reasonable regulations.
Whatever happens, though, the Sisters of the Valley are answering to a higher authority:
“We’re not accepting their ban. It’s against the will of the people, and that makes it unnatural and immoral.”
In the meanwhile, we all #PrayForCannabis
The sisters grow at capacity (12 plants) in a makeshift greenhouse on their property. While their bud looks typical, there’s some magic in the medicine-making process.
The pair are seen cutting the plants from their crop before storing them in a plastic bag. They say their operation is part of a ‘mission to heal the world’
Sister Darcy helps to produce the salves and tinctures in accordance with lunar cycles
An assortment of Sisters of the Valley medicinal marijuana products.
