Hundreds queued outside Dr. Greenthumb’s on Saturday for the grand opening of Fresno’s first cannabis dispensary in the Tower District, nearly three years after the city approved legal weed permits. Cypress Hill rapper B-Real, the chain’s founder, cut the ribbon at the 3,500-square-foot shop in a former Bank of America branch on Wishon Avenue near the Tower Theatre. The event marked a milestone for neighborhood revitalization and tapped into Fresno’s established cannabis culture.
A Celebrity-Driven Launch Revives Vacant Space
Fans camped out since Thursday for prime spots at the ribbon-cutting, where B-Real presided before a voice in the crowd shouted, “let’s all get high.” The celebration featured in-store giveaways, food trucks, and a lowrider car show, evoking the rapper’s early days with Cypress Hill when fans lined up at record stores for new albums. B-Real, who launched the Dr. Greenthumb’s chain in Los Angeles in 2018 and now operates six California locations including Fresno, mingled with attendees, signing autographs on photos, T-shirts, and album covers from his golden-wrapped tour bus named the Twerkulator. He cited Fresno’s strong cannabis culture and affection for his music as key draws.
Local Roots Fuel Neighborhood Transformation
Kacey Auston, a co-owner who grew up blocks away, secured one of the city’s first cannabis licenses in early 2021 for the site, vacant since the bank closed in 2017. She also co-owns the Cookies dispensary that opened in December on Blackstone north of Shaw, but views the Tower location as personal: “I was a Tower rat as a kid, so this is a dream come true.” The 1,525-square-foot sales floor incorporates the building’s vault hidden in back, with decor featuring a mural of B-Real on stage, his signature green thumb print, and his “Dr. Greenthumb” record. Products include the chain’s pre-rolls, flower, and hash oil, plus B-Real’s Insane line from 1998 and offerings from Snoop Dogg and Stiiizy. Councilmember Annalisa Perea, whose district covers the area, hailed the opening as “the definition of revitalization” for the long-empty structure and a step toward meeting cannabis tax revenue targets, which have lagged forecasts by up to $3 million.
Dispensaries Multiply Amid State Scrutiny
Fresno’s legal cannabis rollout started slowly: Embarc and The Artist Tree debuted in July 2022, followed over a year later by The Station near Fashion Fair Mall, then Cookies, Higher Level on Blackstone at Santa Ana, and two Culture Cannabis Club sites. More openings loom, including Sweet Flower this weekend at Shields and Maroa, Haven at the former Fui Hai Chinese restaurant on Belmont and Blackstone, Bayan Tree Fresno on Sierra off Blackstone, and a second Embarc at a old 7-11 on Shaw and West. This expansion coincides with a state auditor’s report last month criticizing Fresno and five other municipalities for gaps in permitting practices, such as lacking an administrative appeals process for applicants, to curb favoritism and boost transparency.
