A new marijuana storefront is officially opening for business in Santa Barbara on Saturday.
The Farmacy Santa Barbara at 128 W. Mission St. offers the legal sale of cannabis for recreational use to customers age 21 or older showing their government-issued identification card. The doors will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.
No prescriptions or medical cards are required to shop, said Graham Farrar, owner of The Farmacy Santa Barbara.
“There’s no stigma,” he said. “You just walk in and shop.”
Farrar, a local cannabis farmer, is an outspoken advocate for cannabis awareness and education. He also is president of CARP Growers, an organization dedicated to encouraging sustainable cannabis farming practices.
“I’m someone who thinks the world is better with cannabis,” Farrar said, noting that the store includes the City of Santa Barbara cannabis tax of 6 percent and a cannabis excise tax in the pricing of all products. “We have come a long way from a couple of buds in a Ziplock bag.
“Cannabis boutique is a better word for us than dispensary. We are not trying to be the Walmart of weed. We are trying to have the best five to 10 products in every category, and I think that’s going to fit Santa Barbara.”
The showroom, which is about 1,000 square feet, displays a carefully curated range of products addressing a wide spectrum of health, wellness, beauty and recreational needs. Several curated products are farmed and sourced in Santa Barbara County.
“Cannabis gives people relief, whether it’s for pain or anxiety or helping with sleep, and it’s just fun on a Friday night,” Farrar said. “This is my hometown, and to be able to do that here for the first time — firsts are forever.”
The Farmacy Santa Barbara has a variety of pot products, including edibles, cannabis-infused drinks, balms, pre-rolled joints, tinctures, extracts and “all kinds of stuff that people have never had a chance to consider before,” Farrar said.
So-called budtenders, also known as “farmacists,” can help curate the customer experience and direct customers to products that will meet their individual interests, dosage level and goals.
Farrar said he hired about 20 local residents to provide personalized service to customers and to assist in helping customers find something that can be purchased legally.
The store, on the corner of Mission and De la Vina streets, is tailored to serve both experienced cannabis consumers and newcomers, according to Lance Denney, assistant general manager.
“The customer experience comes down to making everyone feel welcomed, regardless of who the person is or what their needs are,” Denney said. “We want everyone to feel at home and welcome them.”
The boutique cannabis retailer on Wednesday hosted an open-house event for more than 100 people to explore the brand-new pot retail space. A soft opening on Thursday and Friday will occur.
Saturday’s grand opening will include food from local vendors, live entertainment, tours of the store and the opportunity to meet with the store’s team. The store is partnering with Dosist, F/ELD, Raw Garden, Defonce, Jetty Extracts, Legion of Bloom, GlassHouse Farms, Roam Escapes and Kop Sun for the celebration.
On Wednesday, guests were greeted by Danielle Drucker, a “dosist guide.” She explained in detail the scientist-engineered formulas that the Los Angeles-based business sells.
Through its six targeted formulations of the active ingredients in cannabis — “bliss, sleep, calm, relief, passion and arouse” — dosist provides natural alternatives for some people’s most common ailments. Their proprietary medical-grade vaporizer, the “dose pen,” delivers a precise 2.25 milligram dose every time ensuring a customer has a safe, consistent and repeatable experience.
Santa Barbara resident Deanna Wassom was among the first customers to visit the store Wednesday afternoon. She said it’s about time Santa Barbara got a recreational marijuana shop.
Wassom said she’s excited that The Farmacy Santa Barbara is open to the public.
First-time cannabis users wanting to know what adult-use cannabis is all about and looking for information about marijuana have a comfortable place to go, she said, adding that people are going to “learn what’s right for them because everything is different for everybody.”
Experienced cannabis consumers know their own goal with cannabis, what they want or the way different strains might affect them, Wassom said.
“This is important for the new group that’s coming in because there hasn’t been much education,” she said. “The size of the shop is great, and it allows for some personal attention, which this category needs because education is the biggest thing that needs to be addressed in recreational cannabis.”
The Farmacy Santa Barbara is one of the three permitted retail cannabis stores selected by the city. Santa Barbara used a scoring system to pick which applicants to permit.
“It feels great,” Farrar said of the store opening. “Santa Barbara did the right thing.”
Coastal Dispensary LLC at 1019 Chapala St. and Golden State Greens at 3516 State St. also were chosen.
The Farmacy Santa Barbara is opening more than a year after cannabis sales became legal in the state. Recreational marijuana sales became legal in California on Jan. 1, 2018.
California overwhelmingly passed Proposition 64, the law governing recreational pot in the state, in November 2016. Under the law, adults can possess, grow and use limited quantities of marijuana, as well as other restrictions. Laws prohibit the use of marijuana in moving vehicles. People who buy recreational marijuana aren’t allowed to smoke, eat or vape in public areas.
Under local regulations, Santa Barbara is a smoke-free city.
Medical weed has been legal in California for more than two decades, and cannabis has been grown in the Carpinteria Valley for several years.
The Farmacy Santa Barbara will offer local delivery via online ordering starting in September.
“Be safe,” the cannabis retail store says on its website. “Be smart.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
