California Holistics
After a few long years of legal cannabis licensing issues in Chula Vista, a process that was held up by a handful of lawsuits and other bureaucratic woes, finally, stores have begun trickling open in the past year or so. That means that, for the first time in history, Chula Vista residents have access to legal cannabis.
The first locations opened were Grasshopper, which was formerly a delivery service, and satellite locations of March & Ash, which also operates storefronts elsewhere in San Diego and Imperial counties. The latest dispensary to open in Chula Vista, in early May, is California Holistics, part of a mini-chain that also includes the popular Sorrento Valley shop Torrey Holistics and Mammoth Holistics.
Torrey Holistics has long been known as the medical cannabis go-to for San Diego County residents. It first opened its doors in 2015 when Prop 215 was the law of the land. In 2017, it became the state’s first dispensary to obtain an adult-use license once Prop 64 was approved, making it also the first dispensary in the county to offer recreational sales once it went into effect the following year.
The reason I’ve always liked Torrey—and what I hope will continue with the Chula Vista dispensary—is the company’s commitment to reducing stigma around cannabis use, as well as its emphasis on therapeutic and medical uses, which it pursues through local educational partnerships and workshops. Its Sorrento Valley location employs a PhD in molecular biology and chemistry who’s qualified to give medical cannabis advice to patients, and it places a premium on quality-grown cannabis, keeping in mind that often, people are using it as medicine.
I also admire the chain’s commitment to sustainably grown cannabis: Unlike many other dispensaries, Torrey and California Holistics offer sun-grown cannabis from craft growers in Mendocino and Humboldt counties, as well as other cannabis-producing areas in the state. In an era when big cannabis business is poised to snuff out the little guys, as well as one when we’re increasingly attuned to the environmental impact of mass cannabis grows, it’s important to support retailers who take seriously the responsibility of putting quality products in consumers’ hands. In particular, shoppers should look out for the Emerald Cup-winning buds from Mendocino County’s Emerald Spirit Botanicals—as far as I know, Torrey and California Holistics are the only places to find them in town.
California Holistics; 810 Paseo del Rey, Chula Vista
