While many were nursing hangovers on New Year's Day, fresh from the drunken festivities of the end of
2017, others were celebrating something much different. It has been two decades since the state of
California first allowed marijuana to be prescribed for medical use, and now it has been legalised for recreational use.
Recreational
marijuana is now permitted, at least if certain conditions are met, even though the government still classifies it as a controlled substance. Adults over 21 are allowed to use the drug recreationally, with individuals being permitted to grow up to six of their own plants and possess as much as one ounce of it.
At the start of this so-called "green rush", Mike Tyson is now jumping on the bandwagon by announcing his intentions to open a cannabis ranch in California. The former heavyweight world champion has reportedly already begun development, under the name 'Tyson Ranch'.
The ranch will be located not far from Death Valley, and will be spread over 40 acres. Half of this land mass will be used for marijuana cultivation, where co-founder Robert Hickman told The Blast "underdeveloped lands are primed to be cultivated," adding that this "will allow master growers to have maximum control of their environment".
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On December 20 he broke ground on the plot of land in California City, which is around 60 miles southwest of Death Valley National Park. It will reportedly also include a school to teach farmers how develop their own strains. Other facilities planned include a hydro-feed plant and supply store, extraction facility, edible factory, amphitheater and premium 'glamping' campgrounds and cabins.
California City was launched 60 years ago as a community planned to one day be as big as Los Angeles, a dream which didn't come to pass. Now the city is home to a community college, a jail, and the Edwards Air Force Base. Jennifer Wood, the city mayor who was present with Tyson on December 20, said that the project offered a chance for the a "rebirth" of the city.
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Tyson Holistic is the company that operates the ranch, and is supposedly comprised mainly of veterans, with the care of those who have served in the armed forces a top priority. The company aims to create jobs and connect with the community, with this ranch being one of their initiatives.
Tyson Ranch will also work to improve the medical research on the drug, hoping to use it as an anticonvulsant, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antipsychotic agent, following from Tyson's long-time support of the drug's medical use.
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Following the legalisation of recreational use of marijuana this month, things won't completely change overnight. Retail outlets still require a license to sell, so it will take a while before the practice spreads across the entire state. While restrictions are simple at the moment, the state will eventually require extensive testing for potency, and other contaminants, and a program to track the pot from seed to sale will be phased in as well. Either way, it seems as if Tyson's ranch is set to profit from this boom in the industry.
