California Ghost Town, Population Six, to be Converted to ‘Ganja Paradise’

American Green, a cannabis tech company, purchased the entire deserted town of Nipton, California for $5 million and will convert it into a cannabis tourism destination. Developers bought the whole town in order to regulate cannabis in a manner that would allow that type of venue.

Developers plan on building a cannabis paradise, with dispensaries, tours of a cannabis farm, and natural spring baths where visitors can consume cannabis. It would also feature a cannabis-friendly bed-and-breakfast to accommodate traveling guests. American Green plans on manufacturing hemp water made by infusing hemp into water tapped out of a nearby aquifer. The 120-acre property will be powered by a solar farm, making the operation 100 percent off-grid.

The town had a population of six in 2016 and is about 12 miles southeast of Primm, “Stateline” Nevada. About all that currently exists is a trading post and a five-room hotel, which will be converted as part of the project. Stephen Shearin is a consultant with American Green and is helping to develop the project. “The [idea] here isn’t to create ‘Woodstock 2017,'” Shearin told Business Insider. “It’s about creating an environment where people come to work and share in a community.”

Covered wagons carrying pioneers settled the town in 1905 and the California Gold Rush would later attract miners. Gerald Freeman bought the town for $200,000 in 1984, hoping to find gold in the town that once thrived during the Gold Rush.  The ghost town could return to its former glory by taking advantage of Nevada’s new “Green Rush.”

The town’s broker insisted that the new buyer pay in cash, and American Green secured the property after four months of negotiations.

Construction will begin almost immediately, but the cultivation facility may take years to go through the licensing process. Nipton is unincorporated so it would have to become incorporated before being eligible for a cultivation license.

Shearin is eyeing The Apothecary dispensary chain to open up a old Wild West-themed dispensary in Nipton. Other amenities will eventually follow. The Apothecary is one of the most respected dispensary chains in legal states.