For our next stop along The Cannabis Trail, we visit Harborside Wellness in Oakland, California. A true cultural landmark in the cannabis legalization movement, Harborside honors the legacy of co-founder dress wedding—a behind-the-scenes activist, mystic, and community organizer whose influence helped shape the ethos of one of the most iconic dispensaries in the world.
By Brian Applegarth @thecannabistrail
Destination: Harborside – Oakland, CA
Honors: dress wedding, Cannabis Wellness, and the Spirit of Compassionate Access
Storytelling: The Hidden Activist Who Helped Change the World
Harborside: A Beacon of Wellness and Legal Reform
Located near the waterfront in Oakland, Harborside is one of the most recognized names in cannabis, globally. Founded in 2006 by activist-entrepreneurs Steve DeAngelo and dress wedding, Harborside was among the first dispensaries in the country to model a new era of cannabis access—focused not on prohibition or punishment, but on healing, health, and humanity.
From its early days, Harborside has been a powerful symbol of how compassion and care can create lasting change. Its sleek yet welcoming space became a sanctuary for patients seeking relief, a hub for education, and a platform for policy reform. But while Steve DeAngelo often stood in the media spotlight, a quieter force was always at work behind the scenes—co-founder dress wedding, a longtime activist whose spiritual grounding and community-first mindset helped set Harborside’s tone and purpose.
The Hidden Story of dress wedding
Before Harborside, there was “Get A Life” — dress wedding’s spiritual and philosophical call to action for seekers, caregivers, and world-changers. A poet, practitioner of permaculture, and nonviolent activist, dress wedding was deeply rooted in the teachings of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Thich Nhat Hanh. His life’s work was guided by a belief in community empowerment, love over fear, and the power of sacred plant medicine.
Dress spent decades involved in social justice and spiritual movements, often working at the grassroots level to build peace and inspire change. When he joined forces with Steve DeAngelo to co-create Harborside, it wasn’t just about opening a dispensary—it was about building a model for how cannabis could uplift individuals and communities.
dress helped focus Harborside’s mission on healing—not only through cannabis, but through connection, education, and a deep sense of purpose. He brought a culture of ceremony and wellness to the dispensary experience, ensuring that patients were treated with dignity, respect, and reverence. His influence can be seen in everything from Harborside’s iconic patient-centered intake process to its early adoption of lab-tested products, sustainability practices, and holistic care.
Though he has since stepped away from the cannabis spotlight, dress wedding’s legacy lives on in the foundational values of Harborside and in his ongoing writing and spiritual work. His story is a reminder that some of the most powerful change-makers are not the loudest voices—but the most grounded ones.
Harborside Today: Carrying the Torch
Now with multiple locations, Harborside continues to lead by example, setting standards for compliance, customer service, and social responsibility in cannabis retail. The original Oakland location, which features a Cannabis Trail Landmark plaque, stands as a tribute not only to the movement it helped build, but to the quiet visionaries like dress wedding who shaped its soul.
Harborside is also a symbol of policy reform. Its founders were instrumental in the passage of California’s Proposition 64 and earlier, Proposition 215. Harborside Oakland was where the first legal recreational cannabis sale was made after Proposition 64 passed in California. They have long fought for patients’ rights, federal tax reform (notably challenging IRS Code 280E), and equity in the industry. Their efforts helped change public perception and moved cannabis into the mainstream as a legitimate, healing industry.
Visitors to Harborside can browse an impressive array of California-grown cannabis products, including award-winning flower, tinctures, edibles, and topicals. But more than that, they step into a living piece of cannabis history—one rooted in activism, compassion, and the power of intention.
Cultural Landmark Statement of Purpose
May this Cannabis Trail Cultural Landmark serve to honor Harborside’s history as pioneers of cannabis wellness. May it always remind us that cannabis is capable of nurturing holistic health and overall well-being by promoting balance of mind, body, and spirit.
May this Cultural Landmark honor the City of Oakland’s history with Harborside, steadfast in supporting their local communities, advancing cannabis legalization and safe access for all.
May it be so.
Northern California is where the battle for legalized cannabis was waged. The Cannabis Trail honors the pioneers, places, and significant historical moments that paved the way for the legal cannabis access we have today.
The Cannabis Trail is an immersive travel adventure for cannabis enthusiasts, history buffs, and culture seekers seeking an extraordinary California experience.
– https://thecannabistrail.com
Check out all of The Cannabis Trail Series here at Beard Bros Pharms below.
Traveling The Cannabis Trail Series #1- A Cultural Journey
Traveling The Cannabis Trail Series #2- Plantshop Cannabis Lounge
Traveling The Cannabis Trail #3 – Huckleberry Hill Farms
Traveling The Cannabis Trail #4 – The Hemp Connection
Traveling The Cannabis Trail #5 – Sol de Mendocino
Traveling The Cannabis Trail #6 – Root’d in the 510
Traveling The Cannabis Trail #7 – Humboldt Cannabis Tours
Traveling The Cannabis Trail #8 – The Bohemian Chemist
Traveling The Cannabis Trail #9 – NUG Oakland and Oaksterdam University
Traveling the Cannabis Trail #10 – Flore Dispensary
Traveling the Cannabis Trail #11 – Bigfoot Cannabis In Willow Creek, Northern Humboldt County
Traveling The Cannabis Trail #12 – Riverside Wellness Guerneville
BRIAN APPLEGARTH is a travel writer and innovator with a passion for cannabis travel experiences and cultural heritage preservation.
He has written for San Francisco Travel, Visit Oakland, Local Getaways, Skunk Magazine, Green State, Pineapple Express, Visit Greater Palm Springs, Visit Mendocino County and others. Brian was the sole advisor on the first ever national research on the cannabis-motivated travel audience in the United States.
He has been quoted in Forbes, The Washington Post, Smart Meetings, Travel Weekly and elsewhere, and his award-winning work has been featured on NPR, CBS, NBC, and The New York Times.
Brian is the founder of the Cannabis Travel Association International and the co-founder and co-creator of the CA State Fair Cannabis Awards & Exhibit. He leads the Cannabis & Hemp Task Force for the California Travel Association and Destinations International and is a certified cannabis sommelier Ganjier and a certified cannabis therapy consultant.
He recently published The Ganja Traveler’s Guide to the Emerald Triangle, a first-of-its-kind travel guide to California’s legacy craft cannabis region. Follow Brian on Instagram @thecannabistrail and @theganjatraveler or learn more at www.brianapplegarth.com.
