Yet more evidence that Northern California is the Chillest Place on Earth: City-sanctioned pot farms and "gardens" should soon be springing up in a handful of super laid-back municipalities. In Oakland, they're processing applications for four "industrial sized pot farms."

Currently, most grow operations are wedged in basements or hidden in the wilderness. NorCal cities want them to go legit, providing high-quality glaucoma treatment and lots of revenue: Each of the four pot farms in Oakland would have to pay an annual $211,000 fee, plus high (heh) pot taxes. In Sebastaopol, their pot plans have a more provincial feel: pot "gardens" where people can grow the stuff.

[Image of Oakland marijuana activist Debby Goldsberry via AP]