FIELDSTONE FARM: The owners of the grow op thought this property was “a dream come true.” SAN JUAN SUN GROWN
You would think San Juan County would be a perfect place to start a pot farm. The drizzly climate, the hippies, the geographic isolation, and the history of self-reliance all suggest a hospitable environment for growing and smoking herb. When Washington voters approved Initiative 502 in 2012, legalizing recreational marijuana, San Juan County voted in favor by the largest margin in the state.
One of the weed entrepreneurs who saw an opportunity in I-502 was David Rice, who grew up on San Juan Island. He had been growing medical marijuana in California for 10 years, and following Washington’s legalization, he decided to come home and continue doing what he knew best.