Old Arizona mine turned into cannabis cultivation facility

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SAN MANUEL, Ariz. - Welcome to a cannabis nursery.

It's hot and humid, just like the baby pot plants like it, and it's guarded by loving gardeners every step of the way.

"This was just a weird and strange opportunity," Adam Chistofferson said. "I took a chance on it, and I love it."

As the plants grow, they move to a dozen different rooms – all under one roof.

High-tech machines mimic day and night, and all four seasons.

Light, heat and humidity – perfect conditions for each stage of life.

"We’re just a bunch of farmers, but we have a roof over our head and a bunch of fancy equipment," Cody Phillips said. "But that's about it."

The small Arizona town of San Manuel, about 130 miles southeast of Phoenix, was dying after the copper mine there closed down. But now, more than two decades later, new hope is growing there, thanks in large part to the cannabis industry. FOX 10s Brian Webb reports.

The entire process takes four to five months, producing 800 pounds of product a week.

But the industry is lacking in one way – women. It's something the head of retails is working on.

"And educating women on cannabis, that it is not a stoner thing," said Greta Brandt, president of The Flower Shop. "You’re not lazy because you consume it. I consume it and I’m not lazy."

Finally, each plant is hung out to dry. Then pulled apart and packaged for public consumption – cashing in on the cannabis craze, and giving a little boost to a small town.

Just ask a hometown boy who works here.

"The town has been seeing a lot more patronage to a restaurant in our stores and gas stations," Nathaniel Lopez said. "It's with the local economy needs."

Seventy-five people work here, plus the town has set up a committee to attract more business and breathe new life into the once-dying town of San Manuel.

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