Now that Fresno has legal cannabis stores, more reason to get high on our supply

Two of the most heavily debated, scrutinized and regulated businesses in Fresno history finally opened last week.

And guess what? We survived. The city didn’t slide into a giant sinkhole. Our collective morals are no worse off than they were before.

Six years after California voters legalized cannabis use for adults and going on four since city leaders in December 2018 gave their initial thumbs up to retail cannabis sales, Fresno officially has two pot shops.

“Dispensaries” is the formal term due to the plant’s medicinal benefits. But who are we kidding? Adults using marijuana simply to enjoy its effects is perfectly acceptable, too. Just as long as they’re not driving or in arm’s length of a box of donuts.

Regardless of which store made Fresno’s first legal sale — a fairly petty dispute in the grand scheme of things — the fact that The Artist Tree and Embarc actually exist and are selling cannabis and products made with cannabinoids felt significant.

Opinion

So, naturally, I paid both a visit. No purchases were made as this was purely a journalistic endeavor. Cross my heart and swear to Jah.

Familiar with the shopping center at Palm and Nees avenues, I pulled in expecting The Artist Tree to be tucked way in the back and out of sight. Nope. It occupies a highly visible storefront between two restaurants (one is under construction) in a building attached to mall magnet GB3.

That’s one of the perks when the person who owns the shopping center is also co-owner of the dispensary.

Fresno’s first dispensaries attract crowds

Before entering The Artist Tree, I waited in a fairly long line that stretched outside a small waiting room to the sidewalk. (The line was even longer when I left.) Inside were about 20 customers checking out several displays of cannabis flower, concentrate, vapes and edibles plus another five or six being helped at the sales counter.

At the center of the showroom under purple grow lights stands an enclosed display housing several types of small marijuana plants (aka “clones”) that are also for sale. Each strain is labeled with information about growing time and potency.

What kind of people shop at a cannabis dispensary? All kinds. I saw youngsters in their early 20s and seniors who looked to be in their 70s. I saw people of all different skin tones. I saw one guy pull up in a spiffy Range Rover and another drive off in a Dodge pickup with a rusty tailpipe.

In other words, I saw Fresno.

The demographics at Embarc skewed younger and more Latino, which may have something to do with its Blackstone and Gettysburg location. Instead of a sprawling shopping mall, this dispensary occupies a standalone building on the southeast corner next to Don Pepe Taqueria.

I parked near Don Pepe not only to order a shrimp cocktail (which remains top-notch) but because the dispensary’s parking lot was full. When I walked up to stand in line, two uniformed security guards were there to greet me. Which is something I didn’t see on the north side of town.

Business at Embarc was similarly brisk with at least 20 people inside, plus several employees behind the counter and on the floor. One asked if I was looking for anything in particular or had any questions. I didn’t, really, mainly being there to observe and soak in the scene. However, I did appreciate the rows of clear boxes, each containing a different strain of marijuana, with “smell buttons” that let you get a whiff before you buy.

Now that’s pungent product display. (The Artist Tree has them, too.)

$5.4M reasons Fresno needs legal weed

Even though the city gave preliminary approval to 20 cannabis retailers last September, Embarc and The Artist Tree figure to have the market cornered for at least a few months. At last check only one other dispensary has been issued a conditional use permit, a prerequisite for opening.

Fresno can’t afford much more lagging. That’s because the city’s fiscal year 2023 budget includes $5.4 million in projected cannabis-related tax revenues, both from dispensaries as well as businesses involved with cultivation, manufacturing and distribution.

Since recreational marijuana became legal in January 2018, California has raked in more than $3.4 billion in added tax revenues. Nonetheless, industry operators contend legal sales have only made a small dent in the illegal market.

Onerous taxes are one of the reasons. Cannabis and cannabinoid products are subject to both state and local excise taxes in addition to sales tax. The state’s excise tax is 15%, and cities typically levy between 7% to 13% on top of that.

Fresno is late to the party, perhaps too late to get most residents to change their purchasing habits. By charging only a 4% tax on gross receipts ― among the lowest in California ― perhaps some cannabis users will be swayed to buy both local and legal. At least that’s the hope.

With two dispensaries serving a city of 540,000, retail cannabis in Fresno is barely in its infancy. But even tentative first steps are a sign of progress.