Residents of Sonoma are once again calling on city leaders to consider adding a second cannabis dispensary within city limits. On Wednesday, Sept. 17, the Sonoma City Council will review whether to direct staff to begin studying what opening an additional cannabis dispensary would entail.
Earlier this year, members of the Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group – a grassroots organization advocating for responsible access and fair cannabis policies – met with City Manager David Guhin to push for a second cannabis dispensary.
Currently, the San Francisco Patient and Resource Center (SPARC) operates the only permitted retail cannabis dispensary in Sonoma. Located at 19315 Sonoma Hwy., it opened in 2022 and has served as the city's sole source for legal cannabis products ever since.
Local residents such as Perri Ellis Paniagua say SPARC has a "monopoly" and that adding a second cannabis dispensary would create new economic opportunities and more equitable pricing. According to Gil Latimer, founder of the Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group, the City Council originally agreed in 2021 to consider issuing a second permit but never followed through.
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