On the outskirts of Merced lie a three bedroom house called the Sisters of the Valley. Sister Kate and Sister Darcy are now in battle with the law regarding regulating and banning of cannabis in California.
These women grow marijuana in their garage. They produce cannabidol tinctures and salves in crockpots in the kitchen and sell it to their customers through an Etsy store. Just last week they ordained their new member Sister Rose, who is also a marijuana grower in Mendocina County in California.
According to The Guardian, The sisters are in constant contact with the women of New Jersey and Washington to recruit others that may be interested in joining their group. They say that they want women in every city to sell medicine. But these ambitions have been blocked by legislation that was passed last year.
This law is made to regulate the billion dollar industry using the Medical Marijuana Safety and Regulation Act. A mere error in the final text of this law resulted in passing of local bans on distribution, cultivation and selling these drugs which include their little town, Merced. The law imposed deadlines for cities to impose their own bans and regulation on medical marijuana.
John M. Bramble, city manager of Merced said that if it was a typo error then great, if it wasn't, who knows but as of the moment they will be implementing the ban and regulation of marijuana in the city. With this event, it leaves the sisters of the valley in an awkward position because they are being held as criminals through this law.
Sister Kate clarified that they are not in connection with any religion. She said that their group is a potent blend of new age spirituality, environmentalism, feminism, progressive politics and business practice. It would be easy to say that the sisters are only using these religious drama just to get attention from the media but it seems that they are sincere in believing the healing properties of CBD and their desire to help the sick.
After the ban in Merced was imposed, the sisters are planning to start a call in campaign across Central Valley, urging customers and growers to ask the city council members to give them a reasonable regulation. The sisters said that the ban is against the peoples will and that makes it unnatural and immoral.
