Cannabis Retail, Consumption Trends And Genetics In California: A Chat With Jimi Devine, Writer And Hashish Judge

By Nicolas Jose Rodriguez

Jimi Devine was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, has a degree in journalism and has been working in the California cannabis industry since 2009, as a contributor to world-renowned outlets such as the San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe, High... read more

"Starting in 2010, Jimi saw a shift in the California cannabis scene, hand in hand with the opening of dispensaries like Harborside and Sparc, 'big and open, they offered a service and consumption experience along with cannabis. At the time, Sparc was considered the first of its kind. When it opened, we said, "okay, this is something new."'"

Council eyes streamlining dispensary process

By Jason Walsh

The Sonoma City Council on Wednesday will review new guidelines to the City’s commercial cannabis ordinance to streamline the process for allowing a second storefront cannabis business to operate in the city limits. In April, the council approved... read more

"The the process for awarding the first certificate, approved for the Sparc dispensary in late 2020, took nearly a year."

City’s first cannabis shop will open at former resort hub

By Christian Kallen

There’s finally some movement at the former El Gallo restaurant on Sonoma Highway, which closed over a year ago under financial pressure from the COVID shutdown. The building owners soon found a new tenant in Sparc, the “winner” of the City of... read more

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A new generation leading at La Luz

By Index-Tribune Managing Editor

A new executive director, two new young and enthusiastic board leaders and a smashing sell-out, annual fundraiser that raised $600,000. Sonoma’s family services and community engagement nonprofit La Luz Center is on a roll. New ED Leonardo Lobato... read more

"A new executive director, two new young and enthusiastic board leaders and a smashing sell-out, annual fundraiser that raised $600,000. Sonoma’s family services and community engagement nonprofit La Luz Center is on a roll. New ED Leonardo Lobato happily attended his first La Luz Noche party prior to his official Aug. 23 start date... The 'Summer of Love' themed event attended by 350 guests was held at the Sparc cannabis farm on Trinity Road."

New La Luz director is ready to serve

By Jason Walsh

Leonardo Lobato left the corporate world long ago, but he’s bringing the problem-solving skills he picked up in company boardrooms to serve Sonoma Valley families as the new executive director of La Luz Center. Lobato comes to the Springs-area... read more

"Lobato certainly found plenty of people to be with last weekend, when he got his first taste of La Luz’s annual fundraising soiree, Noche. This year’s party theme was the Summer of Love, which brought a “Be-In” vibe Aug. 7 to the Sparc cannabis farm on Trinity Road. According to La Luz officials, the groovy event brought in more than just 350 attendees dressed in paisley and bell bottoms – it also raised an estimated $600,000 for the center."

Cannabis Co. Sparc Acquires Female-Focused Queer-Led Brand Besito

By Javier Hasse

Sparc, one of San Francisco’s oldest and largest vertically integrated cannabis operators, recently announced the acquisition of besito, a women-founded and queer-led cannabis company with a mission to make premium weed products and a space for... read more

"We’re thrilled to welcome Maggie as an accomplished founder to our executive team as we continue scaling our vertical business in California. Besito is a natural fit within our family of brands, committed to both quality and advocacy, and the integration will immediately add accretive value to our emerging products business."

19 Best Cannabis Delivery Menus to Stay Medicated in SF

With the pandemic came a sharp increase in all things delivery. Cannabis was no exception. If you recently became a cannabis delivery customer, you might have forgotten that marijuana delivery has been a thing since before your grandparents had... read more

"SPARC exists to serve as an important figure for their industry, communities, patients, and consumers. SPARC has a long history of providing high-quality cannabis. Their cannabis is cultivated in entirely organic, biodynamic fields utilizing only natural sunshine on their farm in Sonoma County. SPARC was founded in 1998 and since has been a pioneer in the field of medicinal cannabis."

5 weed products Besito founder Maggie Connors can't live without

By Andy Andersen

Maggie Connors is the founder and CEO of Besito, an Los Angeles-based cannabis brand specializing in “mini-joint” prerolls of classic California-grown strains. Besito was recently acquired by vertically integrated Bay Area cannabis... read more

"This idea of human-led design thinking was also drilled into me at Stanford. The way great design can inspire innovation, new concepts, new brands, stuff you've never even thought of when you can really think creatively."

"I think the thing in this industry that always helps me keep it in perspective is, this was not as tough as the queer community in California that pushed for laws to help their friends dying, and it's not as tough as hundreds and thousands of mostly Black and brown males sitting in jail for the same thing. I'm very aware of the history and the privilege it was for me to come in when I did. So I always try to use our platform to educate and make sure everyone knows the history of this plant and the advocates before us and what a privilege it is for even just a consumer to buy something. We're all privileged."

13 Pride business leaders in the north San Francisco Bay Area you need to know

In this its first year, the Journal’s Pride Business Leadership Awards recognized more than a dozen people for their contributions to the Pride Movement. On June 2, the Journal honored these winners in a special, virtual event hosted by... read more