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It would start with a dozen one-hectare farms feeding a central processing facility, an operation that could initially generate $20 million in revenue and 300 to 400 seasonal jobs, he said.

With Ottawa and the provinces labouring to hash out regulatory and legal details to meet next summer’s legalization deadline, Veri says now is the time for local growers to get their feet in the door.

“We’re not sure the regulations are going to allow some of the nuances involved . . . we want to make sure we don’t get overlooked,” he said.

The region’s pot pedigree is a rich one, said Kaslo resident Veri, who quickly discovered the area’s reputation wasn’t smoke and mirrors when he first arrived in 1997.

In one cluster of 28 homes near where he lived, occupants of 22 of them were involved in cultivating marijuana, said Veri, adding he hasn’t grown the plant for 17 years.

“People here have been growing in Crown forests for 40 years . . . it’s safe to say it’s everywhere.”

It’s believed 40 per cent of Canada’s marijuana is grown in the region, a big chunk of a B.C. cash crop worth as much as $7 billion.

The reputation of Kootenay bud grew lucratively to attract the attentions of the massive California market, with the changing of American greenbacks to Canadian currency becoming a staple of local commerce, said Veri.

Today, the free-spirited town of Nelson is home to 10,500 people and six marijuana dispensaries, supplied partly by local growers whose wares are laid out in display cases.