Since voters passed Proposition 64 to legalize marijuana in 2016, dispensaries have become big business. It can cost more than $1 million to start a dispensary — the reason most are backed by venture capital. But lifelong Richmond resident Ayoka Nurse and her husband, Steve Nurse, are trying to break the mold with Urban Soyal, an independent, family-owned dispensary that opened in March.
Located in an unassuming storefront in El Sobrante, Urban Soyal’s mission is to provide safe access to cannabis for the community, especially seniors, veterans and first responders, many of whom suffer from chronic pain, anxiety and other ailments. (They get a 15% discount on all products.) The business operates under a medicinal cannabis license grandfathered under the previous owner’s permit.
“We look at cannabis as a social policy issue and are here to change the way cannabis businesses are run,” said Ayoka Nurse. “We want people to have access to quality products that are tested.”
California cannabis sales totaled $5.1 billion last year, making the state the world’s largest and most lucrative cannabis market, according to one report. One of the goals of Proposition 64 was to reduce barriers to entering the legal, regulated cannabis market, specifically for people and communities that have been harmed by the “war on drugs.” Despite such efforts, less than 2% of dispensaries in the country and in California are owned by African Americans, primarily because it’s hard to access capital.
Both Ayoka and Steve Nurse have experienced the negative impacts of cannabis laws in their lives. Ayoka raised her six nieces and nephews because their mother — her sister — was frequently incarcerated for drug use. Steve Nurse, a former utility worker for a county water agency, was drug tested monthly, which left him feeling like a criminal. Steve Nurse, who was born and raised in Barbados, is a Rastafarian, a religion that views marijuana as a natural and beneficial herb.
Since the legalization of recreational marijuana, the state Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, known as GO-Biz, has administered a Cannabis Equity Grants Program for cities and counties to help residents who want to enter the cannabis business by offering assistance with permitting, licenses and compliance. The city of Richmond has a marijuana equity program, but there isn’t one in unincorporated Contra Costa County, leaving residents to figure out the maze of permits, licenses and funding.
“A lot of dispensaries are flashy and market like crazy, but we’re here for the community,” said Miguel Nurse, Urban Soyal’s bud tender and inventory manager and Ayoka’s nephew.
“When people think of dispensaries, they think it’s just another smokeshop, but that’s not the case here,” he said.
Urban Soyal is located at the site of one of the county’s first medical dispensaries, run by Contra Costa County’s grandfather of medical cannabis, Don “Buzz” Fowler, who claims to have received the first cannabis card in the county in 1998. Fowler fought in Vietnam, where he says his exposure to a chemical weapon called Agent Orange caused bone diseases and other ailments, one of the reasons he turned to cannabis.
“Ayoka cares a lot more about medicinal people than most dispensaries, who mostly care about making money, ” Fowler said. “I commend her for being there for medicinal people because they require different products and applications to deal with their pain.”
El Sobrante resident Idrissa Lattier seconds the view.
Lattier is disabled and suffers from chronic pain and began using cannabis products like rubs and tinctures to lessen her dependence on opioids. She compared many dispensaries to fast food chains who don’t take the time to get to know their customers.
“At Urban Soyal they create a family type of atmosphere where all of your questions are answered and where you can get recommendations based on your needs,” Lattier said. “They take their time with you.”
As part of their commitment to community and reversing the effects of laws that criminalize drug use, the Nurses recently launched the Urban Soyal Foundation that aims to establish a marijuana equity program in unincorporated Contra Costa County. It will work to educate 18- to 24-year-olds about responsible cannabis use and will seek to expunge records of young people convicted of drug-related crimes. They even had planned to host a free Thanksgiving dinner for neighbors and customers who didn’t have anywhere else to go.
“A lot of our customers are lonely either because they don’t have family left or are not in touch with them anymore,” said Ayoka Nurse. “We want to be here for people.”
Urban Soyal is at 3823 San Pablo Dam Road in El Sobrante.
Good for them! Yet they are advertising free product which is absolutely illegal.
Hi Sam, we do not offer “free” products; we are required to charge at least 1 cent. Additionally, we have a compassionate care program for terminally ill patients and their caregivers. If you’re concerned about illegal cannabis, you might want to look into your local smoke shops and report them for selling illegal cannabis. If you want to complain about us, you can follow the approach of our corporate competitors—call the DCC hotline and file a false complaint.
Have you all covered anything about Riggers Loft and the City of Richmond wanting to evict them. I think it would be a shame to close that place down. It’s one of the only places we have in Richmond where you can really go and just have a beautiful day on the water, drinking wine, listening to good music and enjoying good food.
🤣😂 👎🏼👎🏼 CLOSED