Hundreds queued for hours Saturday at the grand opening of Dr. Greenthumb’s, a 3,500-square-foot cannabis shop in Fresno’s Tower District. The event marked the neighborhood’s first legal dispensary, nearly three years after the city began issuing permits for recreational marijuana sales. Cypress Hill rapper B-Real, the chain’s founder, cut the ribbon amid food trucks, giveaways, and a lowrider show, evoking the band’s early fan frenzy at record stores.
Reviving a Vacant Landmark
The shop occupies a former Bank of America branch on Wishon Avenue near the Tower Theatre, vacant since 2017. Local entrepreneur Kacey Auston, who grew up blocks away, secured one of the city’s early licenses in 2021 and transformed the space into a 1,525-square-foot sales floor. Remnants of the old bank vault remain hidden in back, while the open area now features a massive mural of B-Real on stage, his signature green thumbprint, and memorabilia including his “Dr. Greenthumb” record.
Auston called the project a dream that aligns with neighborhood revitalization and preserves Tower’s quirky identity. “We’re going to help keep the Tower weird,” she said. Councilmember Annalisa Perea, whose district includes the area, described the reopening as transformative, noting how it addresses long-term vacancy and boosts local tax revenue from cannabis sales, which have lagged $3 million behind projections.
B-Real’s California Expansion Lands in Fresno
B-Real launched Dr. Greenthumb’s in Los Angeles in 2018 and now operates six stores statewide, drawn to Fresno’s strong cannabis culture and Cypress Hill fandom. He spent the morning signing autographs on photos, T-shirts, and album covers, then retreated to his golden tour bus, the Twerkulator. The store stocks his full product line—pre-rolls, flower, hash oil—plus his 1998 Insane brand and offerings from Snoop Dogg and Stiiizy.
“We know there is a big cannabis culture here,” B-Real said, comparing the turnout to Cypress Hill’s album release lines. His presence underscores how celebrity-backed brands accelerate legal market growth in areas slow to adapt post-2016 state legalization.
Slow Rollout Accelerates Amid State Scrutiny
Fresno’s legal cannabis scene lagged: Embarc and Artist Tree debuted in July 2022, followed by Station near Fashion Fair Mall in December, then Cookies, Higher Level, and two Culture Cannabis Club sites. More openings loom, including Sweet Flower this weekend at Shields and Maroa, Haven at former Fui Hai on Belmont and Blackstone, Bayan Tree on Sierra near Blackstone, and a second Embarc at old 7-11 on Shaw and West.
This surge follows a state audit last month criticizing Fresno and five other municipalities for weak permitting practices that risk favoritism, including no administrative appeals process for applicants. The report urges transparency to build trust as cities capture revenue from a market legalized statewide years ago but locally delayed by regulatory hurdles.
