The Marley Legacy: Damian Marley To Convert Former California Prison Into Pot Farm

Reggae Legend Bob Marley's youngest son, Damian Marley, and his business partner Ocean Grown Extracts has announced that they are converting a former 77,000 square foot California prison into a cannabis grow space where the plants will be cultured for medical purposes and distributed to state dispensaries.

"Many people sacrificed so much for the herb over the years who got locked up," says Marley, 38, noting the poetic justice of turning a prison that once housed non-violent drug offenders into a cannabis cultivation facility. "If this [venture] helps people and it's used for medicinal purposes and inspires people, it's a success."

New York Post reported that Marley and his partner have purchased the 77,000-square-foot Claremont Custody Center in Coalinga, California for $4.1 million. The purchase has reportedly relieved Central Valley town, which is known to be an economically-challenged area with a $3.3 million debt. The new venture is also expected to create 100 jobs, which in a place where the economy has remained stagnant, can make a huge impact. The area has been known to be plagued by an ongoing historic drought and descending oil prices, both of which have damaged the region's traditional farming and oil industries. Marley's venture is estimated to generate millions of dollars in annual tax revenues for Coalinga.

Dan Dalton, Marley's longtime manager explained that the business venture started in a very "organic way". "Cannabis is something that's around Damian every day with friends, family and with his Rastafarian faith. We've watched people who have sacrificed their lives for it," Dalton said. "That injustice has motivated us to be advocates as well as knowing that there are healing properties in cannabis," reported Tech Times.

Marley also further announced the introduction of Speak Life, which is a proprietary strain of cannabis he created with Ocean Grown. The strain was based on the company's highly acclaimed OG Kush, but was genetically altered with the help of a Ph.D. trained chemist who also helped cultivate the unique breed. "The OG has always been my favorite," says Marley, who met with the chemist while making Speak Life. "When they introduced this strain of OG I really loved it and loved its consistency." The bud is a hybrid made of 70 percent indica and 30 percent sativa, and is hand-watered and trimmed.

Meanwhile, Billboard reported that Marley and his partners are already preparing for the "green rush" should California's Proposition 64, which would legalize cannabis for adult recreational use, pass in November, judging by the result of the polls.

It is also important to note that California is not the only State to reconsider marijuana's legality. Voters in seven other states will choose whether or not to legalize recreationally and/or medical marijuana: Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada could approve the use of recreational; while Arkansas, Florida, and North Dakota will decide on legalizing medical marijuana, a status the plant has been assigned in 25 states and the District of Columbia.