As spring rolls in, two kinds of flowers are blooming in Chico: poppies and cannabis. On April 1, customers young and old came to Embarc for their soft opening. This is the second dispensary in Chico and the eighth location for Embarc. 

Although Embarc is currently open to the public, it will have its grand opening on April 20. 

Embarc was co-founded by CEO Lauren Carpenter and her husband, Dustin Carpenter. Both have been in the cannabis industry for years. Lauren Carpenter previously worked with MadMen and Sweet Flower. Dustin Carpenter is a lifelong cannabis advocate and was the campaign manager for Proposition 64, which legalized cannabis use in California.

Dustin Carpenter became interested in cannabis as a kid when his dad had a brain injury that led to aneurysms and seizures. After his seizure medication caused even more issues, a friend recommended he try cannabis. He said it saved his life.

“Whether it’s medicine for something like seizures, or something to take the edge off, I do believe cannabis is a wellness journey, everybody that’s of legal age should have access to it,” Dustin Carpenter said. 

According to both Lauren and Dustin Carpenter, they chose Chico as a location not because it was a college town, but because of the strong community.

“There’s so much cannabis culture and so much cannabis community here and that existed way before legal dispensaries,” Lauren Carpenter said. “But I think for me, this is a true community.”

Part of their mission is developing conversations with parts of the community that may have some negative views on the use of cannabis. According to Dustin Carpenter, the conservative part of Chico has been scared to open a cannabis dispensary for years.

“Our model helps normalize cannabis in a super responsible way,” Dustin Carpenter said. “Which is, go to a place that opening isn’t gonna be easy, help win the hearts and minds and help the community understand we are a net positive.”

In order to build community, every Embarc location has local partners that are part owners of the business. They also have a community advisory board in every county they operate in and allocate 1% of their gross receipts directly back into the community.

Corporate cannabis has caused many small farms to dissolve, which is why Embarc sources from local growers and is able to have lower prices than other dispensaries. 

“We didn’t get into this to make money, we truly got into this because we’re passionate about cannabis,” Dustin Carpenter said.

Embarc offers a 15% discount to students and teachers on Wildcat Wednesdays. They are located on 185 Cohasset Rd, and are open everyday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Gabriela Rudolph can be reached at [email protected].