East Bay cannabis is truly something for our community to be proud of. Some of the most successful cannabis companies in California—and the world—are still based here and in San Francisco, despite many others closing up shop as adult-use legalization has failed many in this state.
I don’t need to elaborate on over-taxation and over-regulation to local consumers; we all see the results on the price tags in dispensaries and the disruption to our favorite brands.
Operators have had to comply with one absurdity after another just to stay in business. The California excise tax for weed being almost twice that of firearms is but one example. Despite it all, the resiliency and grit that are hallmarks of East Bay culture are being tapped by operators to get weed to the people. Good weed at that.
It all started with the legacy dispensary Berkeley Patients Group, which began in the late 1990s and is still going strong today. They were the first of many important pioneers. Oaksterdam University and the work of Richard Lee (who sadly passed away in July) and Dale Sky Jones broke new ground for so many in our community. Oaksterdam is still teaching and advocating for reform to this day. Then Harborside opened its doors in 2006 and put Oakland cannabis on the international media map, making The Town the face of global weed.
Other legacy companies made their own contributions, like Kiva, Jetty Extracts, Oakland Extracts, 7 Stars and Nug. All are alive and well in places like Oakland, San Leandro and Richmond. Not to mention Cookies, the global powerhouse that got started right here in the East Bay and may be the biggest force in all of cannabis.
Newer players like Snowtill in San Francisco, Vertosa in Berkeley, Budist in Oakland and Park Social in Alameda continue to innovate and create new formats or interfaces for cannabis and consumers. Social equity companies like Root’d in the 510 dispensary and the Equity Trade Network bring excellent operations and products to customers, allowing them to support those most harmed by the war on weed.
While it’s tempting to conclude that legal cannabis has no heart, sometimes one just has to poke around. Here in the East Bay and San Francisco, there’s no shortage of excellent operators and products for the people to enjoy and heal from. The operators I’ve listed here are just the tip of the iceberg, so one may keep poking around. They may just hit something that really lights them up.
View this year’s Best of Cannabis winners as voted by readers here.
