![\"Recreational](\"https:\/\/missionvalleynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/sdrc1.jpg\")
<\/a>Why did you decide to open your dispensary in Mission Valley? What was it about the area that enticed you?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt is very hard to find a location to open a cannabis dispensary. The city only allows four per district and SDRC was the third license in this location. It has to be away from schools and parks. This place is a prime location. I think it\u2019s the best in San Diego \u2014 it\u2019s in Mission Valley, it\u2019s next to Hotel Circle, there\u2019s 34 million tourists and 17 million of those are overnight stays and it\u2019s also the seventh largest city. It\u2019s right off of the [Interstate] 8 providing easy access and parking. I couldn\u2019t ask for a better location.\u201d<\/p>\n How long have you been working in the marijuana industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve been in the industry for 10-plus years and I have a corporate background of accounting. My husband and business partner, Sean, is a military veteran who got into cannabis for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Long story short, [cannabis] changed his life and our life. I wasn’t always supportive in the beginning, but over time I saw these benefits of cannabis and now it\u2019s my industry. I left the corporate sector about 10 years ago to come help him run businesses.<\/p>\n Is this your first marijuana endeavor?<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019re not new to the San Diego cannabis industry, we had shops from 2008 to 2011. After the ordinance was repealed in 2011, I spent some time in Washington\u2019s recreational market, not into the retail side, but manufacturing in a 30,000-square-foot facility of cannabis and edibles. I really have a lot of experience in the recreational market.<\/p>\n What are your thoughts on the recent legalization of recreational marijuana?<\/strong><\/p>\n I think it\u2019s about time. It\u2019s time to tax it. It\u2019s time to regulate it. It\u2019s time to have safe access to it. It has been legal medically since 1996 but it wasn\u2019t regulated like people thought it was. Nothing was tested. Most marijuana came from people coming into shops with backpacks on or growers coming from their houses.<\/p>\n The best thing legal recreational weed can do is one, bring in tax revenue, and two test for pesticides and make sure everything is consistent and products are safe for consumption. That’s why it\u2019s important. The average consumer doesn\u2019t think that. They think, \u2018I\u2019ve been buying medical cannabis at a dispensary for so long\u2019 but it hasn\u2019t been tested and it hasn\u2019t been regulated.<\/p>\n Now, the state has set so many high standards after seeing Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada\u2019s regulation for pesticides and all that. Now, any cannabis has to go through this testing. I\u2019m only allowed to purchase through licensed distributors who already went through this testing. That\u2019s the best thing I think. You know what you\u2019re smoking. It’s not being sprayed with miracle grow.<\/p>\n You have a section of your store presenting information about CBD. What is CBD? How is it different than marijuana?<\/strong><\/p>\n I want the area to be an interactive learning space and I\u2019m working on adding more to it. CBD is for people who have work to do or they have kids to take care of and they can\u2019t be high all day. CBD has no psychoactive effects to it but it has so many benefits that can help people. There have been doctors who came in who are working with things like opioids and they basically want to have an alternative or a center where people can go. Not necessarily a medical place, but an outlet for people to say, \u201cYou know what, this place is a licensed place that has these options for you.\u201d That was my thinking behind the CBD area.<\/p>\n A new customer walks into your store and has never tried recreational marijuana before: What do you say?<\/strong><\/p>\n Really everyone who comes into our door is new to the cannabis industry. Most of my customers who come through here are first-time smokers or first-time cannabis users who saw my billboards, saw the sign that says \u201cCannabis 21+,\u201d or they\u2019re tourists.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve had people who looked us up in Florida and came here. What we are is a cannabis destination and that\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to do. That\u2019s what our motto is. A recreational destination.<\/p>\n What we want to be is any recreational needs you have, you can get that here whether you smoke going up Cowles Mountain or you smoke and go to the gym and need something to help your muscles to relax, whether you, not medically, need help sleeping with edibles. Whether you smoke or eat it \u2014 we have something for everybody.<\/p>\n What would you say to critics of recreational marijuana?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s everywhere. Look on Craigslist right now \u2014 you should want it in a facility that\u2019s required to have armed guards 24 hours a day. You should want it in a place that has surveillance 24 hours a day. You should want it in a place that\u2019s paying taxes, because if it\u2019s not here, it\u2019s on the streets. It is right now. It has to be regulated and safe to smoke.<\/p>\n What do you think will be the next big thing in the marijuana industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n Recreational. It\u2019s just starting. We\u2019re creating the market for recreational cannabis. We\u2019re doing things that have never been done before \u2014 things have been done medically maybe, but even our setup is different than any medical store.<\/p>\n We do not share inventory, we have 10 separate check-out stations and each station has its own inventory. That\u2019s how we\u2019re able to move customers in and out but also have a personal experience. People come here and have their different needs for smoking and their different reasons why they come to the store, but it\u2019s still a personalized experience. You\u2019re able to talk with someone that can fit you in for the right product.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not medicine, they\u2019re not patients, they\u2019re customers. And everything here has to be pre-packaged, pre-weighed and placed in childproof packaging. It then leaves my store in an exit bag that is child resistant and given away for free.<\/p>\n How has Mission Valley responded to the dispensary?<\/strong><\/p>\n The neighborhood has been pretty welcoming. We\u2019re just average people providing a nice environment where people feel comfortable and safe. I can\u2019t tell you how many couples I see coming in for date night or how many families I see. We welcome groups and pets and I can\u2019t tell you how many times people come in and they\u2019re scared. We had some people come in from a church and it was two older ladies and they were just scared.<\/p>\n Everybody who comes in doesn\u2019t know what to expect from a cannabis store because there is so much stigma. We want to break the stigma down and let people know that there\u2019s no difference between coming in here and going to the Apple store or any other retail store. It doesn\u2019t smell like marijuana, it\u2019s clean, professional and we value customer service. Our sales associates are warm and welcoming.<\/p>\n I know how me and my husband shop. We\u2019re Walmart great-value-type shoppers and that\u2019s what we want \u2014 we want to offer quality-tested nice products but at an affordable price where people can feel like they\u2019re getting a good deal but still contribute to paying taxes. It\u2019s no different than any other taxes on things you buy.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next for SDRC?<\/strong><\/p>\n Delivery, shuttle services and more community outreach. I\u2019d love to volunteer at food banks or help other nonprofits. There are so many nonprofits I\u2019d love to contribute to. We are also looking to open a second location.<\/p>\n For more information about SDRC or to see their list of products, visit sandiegorecreationalcannabis.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a>