California nuns who grow marijuana have posed for a series of powerful photos documenting their day-to-day work.
Sister Kate and Sister Darcy, who live in Merced and go by the name Sisters of the Valley, have given photographers Shaughn Crawford and John DuBois a candid look at their controversial business, which involves cultivating week for remedies they sell online.
The pair, who consider themselves nuns but not in the traditional or Catholic sense, are licensed Medical Marijuana growers, but their business has recently come under threat from California municipalities looking to outlaw what they do.
The sisters’ organic products include salves, tinctures and oils engineered to treat niggles like migraines and back pain.
Each of the items contain low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component that causes marijuana’s famous high.
Every product is prayed over by its makers before being sent off to customers.
The images snapped by the photographers show the nuns crouched among marijuana plants, burning rolled up sets of leaves in front of them.