New dispensary opens in Orcutt

ORCUTT, Calif. - A new dispensary is open in Orcutt.

After a complex approval process, the doors officially opened on Saturday.

Dr. Greenthumb's cannabis shop is now open along Clark Avenue in Orcutt, just off Highway 101. 

“I think it's about time. I'm pretty excited about it. We don't have to drive to Lompoc or Santa Barbara for it,” says Chris Kirkwood, who lives in Santa Maria.

 This location opened on December 7th with a flourish and marks the second dispensary in the Santa Maria Valley following “Root One” in Guadalupe.

“We've had an amazing turnout. We've had amazing support from our community. It's been nothing but positive on our end,” says Thomas Casarez, general manager.

Though many people have voted against dispensaries in Santa Maria, since this Orcutt location is outside of city limits, it received enough county support to launch.

Staff say community reception has been even better than expected. 

“It's more controlled now and that's always a good thing when you can, when it's in a controlled environment that's going to be better and just safer,” says Kirkwood. 

Casarez says they offer an array of products with different benefits. 

“There's a lot of new things that are coming out that have helped people with topicals, like with CBD. It's a really good anti-inflammatory. There's CBN as well, which is a really good thing to help people who have trouble sleeping at night,” he says. 

“I’d like to see one in Santa Maria. Yeah. Save me some more time. It's like a ten minute drive. It's better than a like, a 25 minute drive. 40. You know, 20 there in back to Lompoc,” says Santa Maria resident Liam Kitchen.

Customers say they want to see legal reform & pardons for those serving sentences from before marijuana was legalized.

“I encourage anyone who has a question mark about what cannabis is nowadays and come on to your stories and kind of see what we're all about,” says manager Casarez.

Customers also hope to eventually see social consumption lounges open here on the central coast.

Until then, this shop is open daily.