The cannabis they cultivate is high in CBD (Cannabidiol), the compound believed to have the most medical value.
“The women grow marijuana in the garage, produce cannabidiol tinctures and salves in crockpots in the kitchen, and sell the merchandise through an Etsy store.”
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However, an oversight in the Medical Marijuana Safety and Regulation Act has caused governments across California to ban the drug. This includes Merced, the small city in Central Valley where the Sisters live.
“The legislation accidentally established a 1 March 2016 deadline for cities to impose their own bans or regulations on medical marijuana or be subject to state rules, a deadline that assembly member Jim Wood, who authored that section of the bill, said was included by complete accident.”
The Sisters refuse to accept the ban, claiming that they will continue cultivating the medicine and providing it to patients.
“We’re not accepting their ban,’ said Sister Kate. ‘It’s against the will of the people, and that makes it unnatural and immoral.”
The Sisters of the Valley are not affiliated with any traditional religion, instead wearing their white collared shirts and nun’s habits as a statement of their close relationship with the natural world.
“Sister Kate says that she never wanted to fool people into thinking she was a ‘real’ nun, but she enjoyed the way that her habit changed how people interacted with her, seeking her out and telling her their troubles.”
Merced officials have said they will organize a task force to establishing more secure cannabis regulations. Meanwhile, the Sisters of the Valley plan to begin a call-in campaign in efforts to hasten the process.
“We would like it to be that one day there are some of us in every town and city. Wherever you see women in blue jean skirts and the white veil, you know they know about cannabis.”
All-in-all, the Sisters show no sign of slowing down their effort to provide their medicinal cannabis to patients.
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Read more about the Sisters of The Valley here and have a look at their Instagram