MCFARLAND, Calif. (KGET) — It seems like you can find commercial cannabis everywhere in California, well, everywhere but Kern County. McFarland is the next city in the county hoping to change that.
Now that the city has approved an ordinance for commercial cannabis, residents could expect to see its first dispensary by the summer. Yet, some aren’t convinced marijuana is the best idea.
“I think it’s bad. If the people don’t need it, I think it’s bad,” said McFarland resident Leticia Delgadillo.
With a new dispensary, McFarland will join Arvin and California City as cities in Kern with commercial cannabis, hoping to raise revenues for their respective cities.
Arvin cannabis delivery business 420 Kingdom delivers all over Kern, even to Bakersfield, a city that has banned commercial cannabis. Jordan Thorn said the business has dramatically impacted Arvin since it started in 2019, particularly improving the roads.
“It’s been a huge benefit for them, they’ve really enjoyed having us here and kind of reaping the benefits of what legal cannabis can do for cities,” said Thorn.
Thorn said that with McFarland joining in, it is time for other cities around Kern to do the same, including Bakersfield.
“We’re one of the few in California that don’t have it legal from a brick-and-mortar standpoint,” Thorn said. “We’re considered to be the white unicorn of the cannabis industry with it being not legal.”
Thorn says the cannabis business is growing in Kern and is here to stay.
“Everything’s licensed, it’s tested in a lab. We’ve made sure there is no weird chemicals in it, so very strenuous lab testing goes on. Once they kind of see the benefits of it and reap the benefits of the tax money, I don’t think it’s going to be an issue for them,” said Thorn.
17 News reached out to the City of McFarland for comment on this story, but did not hear back.
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