The California desert town that plans to be 'a Mecca for marijuana'

Two years ago Desert Hot Springs declared a fiscal emergency, and decided pot might be the answer to its woes
The Independent (UK)
Thursday, December 1, 2016

buds-jointsDesert Hot Springs is the first Southern California city to legalise large-scale cannabis cultivation. With the drug becoming legal for recreational use in the Golden State, the town hopes to draw pot tourists with the promise of 'bud and breakfast' resorts and 'soak and toke' options at its famous mineral spas. California was the first US state to legalise medical marijuana, in 1996, but its weed farmers operated in a grey market until 2015, when the state agreed new regulations allowing growers to apply for licences. At November’s election, California voters passed Proposition 64, legalising the drug for recreational use.