Old Central Valley prison going from big house to weed house

A marijuana plant is seen at Toez indigenous reservation, in the rural area of Caloto, department of Cauca, Colombia, on May 23, 2016. An intimate cannabis spray is produced at Toez indigenous reservation to improve women's sexual response regarding lubrication and low sensitivity. / AFP PHOTO / LUIS ROBAYO / TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY LISSY DE ABREULUIS ROBAYO/AFP/Getty Images less A marijuana plant is seen at Toez indigenous reservation, in the rural area of Caloto, department of Cauca, Colombia, on May 23, 2016. An intimate cannabis spray is produced at Toez indigenous reservation to ... more Photo: LUIS ROBAYO, AFP/Getty Images Photo: LUIS ROBAYO, AFP/Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Old Central Valley prison going from big house to weed house 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

An old prison in the Central Valley town of Coalinga is getting a new life — as a cannabis oil extraction plant.

The Coalinga City Council OKd the $4.1 million sale Thursday of its dormant Claremont Custody Center prison to Ocean Grown Extract, which will convert the facility that once housed drug dealers to make weed oil for medical use.

The deal will put the cash-strapped city, which was $3.3 million to $3.8 million in debt, in the black, City Manager Marissa Trejo told the Fresno Bee.

The sale was approved after the city council voted 4-1 to allow commercial marijuana cultivation within the city limits.

“It’s like the Grateful Dead said: ‘What a long, strange trip it’s been,’ ” Coalinga Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Keough told The Bee after the vote. “We listened to the citizens and created a package that was reflective of our population.”

Bill Hutchinson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: bhutchinson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: bill_hutchinson