Sisters of the Valley grow cannabis to «save the world»

Sister Kate and Sister Darcey, the Sisters of the Valley, are not affiliated with any religion, but believe deeply in the healing powers of CBD oil.

These sisters, who live in northern California where they grow CBD-rich cannabis to produce tinctures, oils and salves, describe themselves as «activists on a mission to heal the World».

As an activist, Sister Kate took her name and started dressing as a nun during the Occupy movement. At first it was purely satirical, but she decided to make it a component of her activism when she realized that people were more inclined to come up to her dressed like that.

Cannabis nuns

Initially, the Sisters worked with Californian medical dispensaries, but found the process slow and thankless. Few clinics seemed genuinely interested in the medical value of their products. They therefore decided to refocus their production on the CBD, is one of the components of cannabis that treats a wide range of health problems but does not produce psychoactive effects.

«We didn't want to found a religion, we didn't want to hide under an association status, we just wanted to have a sustainable business to support us. It's also a way of life that goes against the grain of clichés about cannabis.

Their beliefs therefore extend to their method of cultivation, which involves «the power of the moon's cycles and a spiritual environment». You can see their production methods at their Youtube channel, where the Sisters show their harvest and the kind of work involved in a line of CBD products.

They also post their recipes online and sell their balms, tinctures and other oils on their Etsy store.

The Sisters have received a lot of attention lately due to a new law that bans the sale and cultivation of cannabis in the Merced area where they live, and therefore threatens their business.

Sister Kate, says she felt scorned by the local council's decision to ban an activity like hers, and could stop her business altogether. In fact, the Sisters are ready to fight back. Sister Kate is preparing a Valley-wide call-in campaign, asking growers and customers to flood city council members with phone calls every Friday until they decide on reasonable regulations.

Whatever happens, the Sisters of the Valley answer to a higher authority. «We don't accept their ban,» says Sister Kate. «It's against the will of the people, which makes it artificial and immoral».

Bonus: a weekend with the Sisters