Two nuns, who grow, refine, package and sell marijuana products for medical use, recently posed for a series of photographs, documenting their life. Sister Darcy and Sister Kate, who reside in Merced and sell their products under the banner ‘Sisters of the Valley’, allowed photographers John DuBois and Shaughn Crawford a close and candid look at their business and personal life.
The pair considers themselves nuns but not in the traditional sense. Despite being licensed medical marijuana growers, their business has been facing some threat from municipalities that want to outlaw what they do for a living across California.
The duo’s organic products include tinctures, salves and oils that have been engineered to treat health issues like back pain and migraines. Each of the products contains low levels of THC or tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive element that is known to cause marijuana’s celebrated high. Once prepared, the nuns pray over every product, before shipping off their packages to customers. Since starting their business last year, both Darcy and Kate have been retailing their products on Etsy as well as their own website.
While some of the images taken by the photographers show the sisters tending to marijuana plants, burning leaves and preparing their rather sought-after products, others show the nuns enjoying a drag from their well-made joints while relaxing at home.
Yet, 24-year-old Darcy and 56-year-old Kate cannot help but acknowledge the threat that their growing business has had to face in the past one year. Most recently, their shop on Etsy was withdrawn.
“We thought it the best place to feature our homemade and handmade goods. But not long ago, they were bought by eBay,” the pair wrote on their GoFundMe page last month. “And yesterday, after nine months of no issues, they rudely took all our items off our shelf, alleging we make health claims.”
And with bills stacking up and their source of income suddenly facing flak from the local community, the sisters are now depending on their fundraising campaign to keep alive their business.
“We had a dream of living a simple life, making our medicines on a quiet farm, in a spiritual environment, and being self-sustaining,” they said.
This is the latest in an unfortunate run for the sisters, after they were compelled to shift their business when a new regulation rendered it illegal in its first location.
Photo Credits: Weed Depot
