| 26 October 2010
For Californians considering growing their own marijuana, the WeGrow superstore in Oakland, California, stocks everything an aspiring home cannabis producer needs.
Walking around this B&Q of cannabis is a surreal experience. Marijuana is still illegal in the United States under federal law, although growing it for medicinal purposes has been legal under Californian state law since 1996.
Hydroponic feed solutions are stacked high in aisles that run the length of the 15,000 square foot warehouse.
There are propagators for starting your garden, large lamps to create artificial daylight for your plants and drying racks for the harvested buds.
Amy Almsteier and husband Derek Oppedisano founded WeGrow after Derek broke his neck surfing.
Both gave up jobs in other industries to take a gamble on the emerging California market for medicinal marijuana growing.
On November 2, California will be voting whether to approve Proposition 19, a law which would also legalise the drug for personal recreational use.