A see of green

Ever wondered what it’s like to be completely surrounded by massive frosty buds of cannabis, with the stanky stench of skunky chronic permeating your nostrils?

We’ll show you.

On the heels of San Francisco’s decision to fire up its permit machine for new medical cannabis dispensaries in the county, Laughing Squid’s Rusty Blazenhoff got a rare and privileged look inside the walls of a commercial pot growing operation in Oakland. And it looks like they’ve got the goods.

Blazenhoff was given full access to the large-scale grow spot, right near harvest time, when the blooming flowers are at their peak. The grow operation consists of several specialized rooms, each designed to provide ideal conditions for plants at their various life stages.

Soon the buds will be harvested, dried, trimmed, cured and sold to one of several medical cannabis dispensaries in the area, where they’ll fetch as much as $60 for a small bag of 3 1/2 grams.

Oakland allows for medical marijuana prescription holders to grow up to 72 indoor pot plants in 32 square feet. Collective gardens are allowed for up to three patients, or more than 200 plants.

With fans roaring on the floor below, and blazing-bright vertical high pressure sodium lamps dangling from the ceiling above, Blazenhoff shows us how some of the world’s most renonwed ganja gets its start. And it’s just about enough to make bud-friendly folks green with envy.