Proposition 19 is on the ballot in California, Oregon, Arizona, and South Dakota.

I’m not saying it will pass. I’m not saying I support it, but hey, potheads!
It has finally come to the day when the pipe hits the polls.

I grew up in California through the passing of Prop 215 (marijuana for medicinal purposes) and HOLY ACCESS! I became a medical marijuana patient.

This required very little on my side:
(1) Be in pain. I had sore wrists from scooping the rock-hard ice cream at Haight-Ashbury’s Ben and Jerry’s, and of course the default excuse for everything: monthly womanhood cramps.
(2) Make the appointment. There are 200K medical marijuana patients in California alone, so expect a two week wait.
(3) Show up with 90$. No documents needed, stoners, it’s acceptable to recall your medical history by memory.

A half hour later and I was next door at CannaMedCare–the most expensive club I have ever visited. To a nice balance, they provide an incredible atmosphere: mirrored security, a beautifully lit clone display, plush red lounge chairs, five-foot bongs, and a buffet of stoney savories (the rootbeer is a winner). Pretentious pot clubs aside, I really preferred The Hemp Center on Geary. With a spacious set-up, decent selection, and homegirl behind the counter, the spot had an open, neighborhood feel. It was also close to my high school, so I took advantage during homeroom… lunch… and 6th period.

Under Prop 215, my prescription has protected me from the law. That’s another book of stories, but if the CA po. find you for possession of less than an ounce, the law states: you have your papers, you keep it.

Oink oink, piggys!

Luckily for non-patients, Schwartzy has decriminalized possession of less than an ounce. Now, even without legal papers, a stash less than 28 grams is confiscated with a measly fine of 100$, you are free to go.

Marijuana is quickly becoming more mainstream, and states are rushing to regulate and profit on this growing industry. Millions are to be made from taxes, and millions more are to be saved from reduction of “drug” offenders. As these laws come into effect, corporate cannabis is working on a way to capitalize on the new markets.

In July, Oakland, California approved a plan to license four large pot farms for growth, packaging, and processing. Oaksterdam has shown to be a huge success for this Bay Area city, and the pot pioneers move forward with the first attempt in the nation to authorize wholesale cannabis cultivation.

Gropech, a non-profit, is giving the public a look into what may become the first official cannabis factory. 60,000 sq. ft., 30,000 plants, and $50 million in cannabis production per year. The company brings horticulturalists together with electrical and mechanical engineers to build an environmentally friendly, laboratory-quality growing facility that will use solar energy and generate zero wastewater.

Gropech promises to create hundreds of union jobs and reinvest profits in the Bay Area through community projects, food systems, and domestic voilence programs. They aim to bring transparency to the growing process, providing a safe and secure supply for medical dispensaries across the state.

The way I see it, these factories could potentially create a monopoly in the marijuana growing industry, and I stand by the free market. Homeys gotta eat yo!

Visit the Gropech website for a virtual tour of the pot factory.