SB-34, passed in 2019, also referred to as the Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary Act, creates a way for the legal cannabis industry to donate products to eligible patients. It’s an important program supporting medical patients in a Prop 64 landscape where patients have often been forgotten.
Wellgreens is a San Diego-based, vertically integrated retailer that’s quickly growing, with over 10 retail locations, including a store in Vista run by Chris Shallal. On Saturday, September 5th, the Vista store held an SB-34 event focused on Veterans, with education and resources. Medical patients who came in during the event could receive a compassionate use donation bag.
The three-hour event was energetic, with music playing outside the store and several booths, including a taco vendor; a free taco ticket was included with a donation bag. Inside the store, the team was all smiles, with Chris welcoming patients in to get their bag. The store was recently renovated and converted to ‘bodega style,’ where customers can shop the store on their own with a shopping basket and head to the register when ready.
Participating in the SB-34 program is meaningful to Wellgreens and is part of their focus on wellness, which also includes a growing product line of their own wellness products. Some of their exclusive brands include Up!, Lights Out., and Direct, which includes tablets, a growing wellness product in the category. Creating wellness-forward products is not always a priority in adult-use markets, and Wellgreens is demonstrating how it can support all aspects of the market.
In addition, SB-34 is about giving back to the community. California is fragmented, and cannabis access is not uniform. San Diego, similarly, has areas with various levels of acceptance and access. The city of Vista, which is part of north San Diego County, is one area that has embraced cannabis and what it can do for the community, and it’s refreshing to see an event giving back in Vista.
Legalization is important, but it can’t be at the expense of medical patients. Cannabis is first and foremost a medicine. Thanks to the Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary Act, there is a way to help get medicine to patients. And thanks to Wellgreens, this happened in Vista Labor Day weekend.
