Oh the irony. Damian Marley is turing a 77,000 square foot California prison into a farm center to cultivate medical marijuana.
Bob Marley’s youngest son is teaming up with herb manufacturer, Ocean Grown Extracts to bring his million-dollar business model to life. While the Rasta is planning to capitalize on the high demand for marijuana, he also explains the metaphor behind his latest venture. “Many people sacrificed so much for the herb over the years who got locked up,” Marley said. “If this [venture] helps people and it’s used for medicinal purposes and inspires people, it’s a success.”
Marley noted the venture will also present a lot of opportunity for the economy. The new center will potentially generate 100 jobs as well as an estimated million dollars in annual tax revenue for the Cali neighborhood of Coalinga, according to Billboard.
Marley also announced he would be introducing a new proprietary strain of cannabis called Speak Life. The new bud will be released in partnership with Ocean Grown. “The OG has always been my favorite,” Marley said of his new strain. “When they introduced this strain of OG I really loved it and loved its consistency.”
With California’s Proposition 64 — the petition which could legalize weed for recreational use — will likely get passed in November, Marley and his partners are preparing for a huge surge in consumers. But even with the taboo of weed-smoking gradually coming to an end, Marley can’t believe it’s happening in his lifetime. “I didn’t know it would happen this way. This was definitely something we were working towards for a long time, before I was even born. There was Peter Tosh’s ‘Legalize It’ and songs like that — this is something our culture has been working towards. I was optimistic that it would one day be legal — and now it is here.”