Woodlake pot dispensaries still working towards grand openings
WOODLAKE, Calif. (KFSN) -- More and more, marijuana is the talk of the town in one small South Valley city, as two dispensaries get ready to open their doors there.
Both stores have received conditional use permits from the city of Woodlake, but neither one has an official grand opening day set yet.
Green Bean Pharm is one of two cannabis companies working as quickly as possible to open a dispensary.
Theirs would be on the outskirts of town, in an old lumber company building.
Valley Pure also plans to call Woodlake home and would have its dispensary downtown, on Valencia Boulevard.
"In a way, it could bring more business to the city, but I don't know I think it's too close to all these little shops around here," said Porterville's Miguel Sotelo.
"This is our chance for our little city to grab that tax dollar," said Woodlake's Dean Barnes. "Isn't that the American way?"
Barnes has lived in Woodlake for decades.
His barber neighbors the dispensary site, but that doesn't bother him.
"Woodlake is going to cash in, why not?" "It's going to go someplace anyway, but people voted on it. Power of the people. That's what they wanted, that's what they got," Barnes said.
In November, 67 percent of voters said yes to a tax on cannabis businesses, including those that manufacture, cultivate, distribute, or test marijuana.
Woodlake Mayor Rudy Mendoza says the city hasn't determined the tax structure yet.
He says whatever the city receives in revenue will go towards projects and services that benefit and protect the entire community.
