Of parks and puffs
Soon after a soft opening on May 1, Cede Hunter, 23, the daughter of cannabis superstar, Dennis Hunter, gave me a tour of Cannadel, the only dispensary on Santa Rosa’s Eastside. The grand opening, with music, food trucks and deals on products, will be in mid-June. You might put it on your calendar.
The name “Cede” is pronounced like Sadie. “Think, ‘Mercedes,’” she tells me. Clean, well-lighted and stocked with a wide array of products, Cannadel appeals to young hipsters and to old-timers who live in nearby Oakmont. It’s also close to Trione-Annadel State Park. Hence the name Cannadel.
The Oakmont Cannabis Club supported the dispensary’s application for a permit. Some neighboring businesses weren’t enthusiastic at first, but they’ve come around. Trail House, an adjacent bike shop with a café and a bar, has supported Cannadel all the way, and Cannadel goes out of its way to say that cannabis goes well with biking, hiking and dog walking in some designated areas of the 5,200-acre park.
Hey, you don’t have to be a couch potato. You can puff or rub or chew a gummy and explore the park, which includes an 8.5-mile section of the Bay Area Ridge Trail and offers spectacular views of the Santa Rosa Plain and Sonoma Valley. Hiking to Lake Ilsanjo is divine. Birding at Ledson March is spectacular.
Cede Hunter grew up in Humboldt County’s cannabis culture and was probably destined to go into cannabis retail sales, though she might have run the other way. One of her earliest memories is of her father, Dennis, being arrested and going to jail. What a difference legalization makes!
“Cannadel was two years in the making,” Cede tells me. “There was some backlash from surrounding businesses that thought we weren’t a good fit, but then they realized that many of their employees were coming here and buying our products, so they changed their tune. They realized you can smoke weed and be active, too.”
The dispensary promotes products for cats and dogs, who seem to benefit from a little CBD. Cannadel also offers weed from the brand “Farmer and the Felon.” Proceeds go to the Last Prisoner Project, which helps people incarcerated for marijuana offenses.
“For some people who come here, it’s their first time in a dispensary, and it can feel intimidating,” Cede says. She makes them feel right at home, as she did with me. She adds, “Newcomers want to know where to start, and what products to try. Fortunately, we’re shoppable. You can pick up and touch, like in a grocery store.” When you’re in the neighborhood—4036 Montgomery Dr.—stop and shop and tell Cede, “Jonah sent me.”
Jonah Raskin is the author of “Marijuanaland: Dispatches from an American War.”
