Ironic Investment

The Coalinga City Council approved the sale of an out-of-commission prison to a cannabis oil extraction plant called Ocean Grown Extract. The former Claremont Custody Center prison sold for $4.1 million, following a 4-1 vote by the city council to permit cannabis cultivation in Coalinga in mid-July. After cannabis cultivation was approved within city limits, the Coalinga Mayor Pro Tem, Patrick Keough, told The Sacramento Bee, “It’s like the Grateful Dead said: ‘What a long, strange trip it’s been.’ We listened to the citizens and created a package that was reflective of our population.”

It’s ironic that a place that used to imprison people for illegally possessing cannabis will now be dedicated to legally converting cannabis flower to oil.

Coalinga’s City Manager stated the prison sale allows the city to get out of debt completely. The city was up to around $3.3 million to $3.8 million in debt prior to the sale. Ocean Grown will have around 100 jobs to fill, and they’ve made a deal to fill the positions with local residents, and they will be able to do so since over 200 local residents submitted applications for employment at a recent job fair.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer 100 jobs and make safe medicine available for patients. We appreciate Coalinga taking a chance not only on us, but on the industry.”

The co-owner of Ocean Grown, Casey Dalton, said in an interview, “We’re thrilled to be able to offer 100 jobs and make safe medicine available for patients. We appreciate Coalinga taking a chance not only on us, but on the industry.” The other co-owner is Casey’s brother, Kelly Dalton.

Strict guidelines have been set forth by the City Council to ensure that Ocean Grown Extract runs a safe and well-regulated operation. Some of these guidelines require background checks for employees and private contractors who work at the cultivation site, the facility must be closed to the public with a locked gate, 24-hour surveillance, each cannabis plant must have an electronic tracking device attached, among others.

It appears the only issue Ocean Grown and Coalinga may run into is with the facility’s water supply. The city received a letter written by The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which warned against water being directed to Ocean Grown. The city ensures that if the federal government shuts off the water supply to Ocean Grown, then they will work to find a new water supply for the business.

The vote to permit cannabis cultivation and move forward with the sale of the former Claremont Custody Center prison is a huge win for those who have been fighting this battle for a long time.