California Cannabis: Fresno Finally Gets Its First Weed Dispensary, City Council Member Is First Official Customer

Fresno got its first cannabis shop, Embarc, from which delighted locals came and went all day Monday, though the very first customer to walk in the door was city Councilmember Miguel Arias. 

Longtime Coming

Arias said the city has gone through a long and slow process to make room for cannabis retailers in Fresno, the fifth-largest city in California and the biggest to not have any weed stores all this time.

It's taken nearly five years since cannabis retail sales were allowed in California and as long for all the details and regulations to get worked out in Fresno. 

Hence the opening of Embarc is an important occasion. 

“We took our time…some would say too long of a time,” said Arias, who was chairperson of the city’s Cannabis Committee, reported The Fresno Bee. “As the largest city to not have cannabis sales, it’s a huge deal.” 

Embarc owner Lauren Carpenter said the shop was originally set to open Wednesday but her staff was champing at the bit. “I checked with my team yesterday and they said they wanted to be open,” she said. “They wanted to make history.” 

The shop carries a diverse product that includes about half produced by companies that are run by women, LGBTQ owners, veterans, small farmers and other groups, Carpenter said. Embarc is Northern California's fastest-growing independent cannabis retailer.

“(We) seek to create an inclusive culture that is high-end enough that it’s able to feel comfortable for everyone,” she said. “But, I’m careful not to skew exclusive.”

Carpenter said her staff is about as diverse as they come, in ethnicity as well as age. She’s got 20-somethings to grandparents working at the shop. She added that Embarc is partnered with United Food and Commercial Workers so her employees can unionize and make livable wages.