The city of Ventura saw its first marijuana dispensary open last month as Responsible and Compliant Retail Ventura LLC, known as Embarc Ventura, began selling bud on Main Street. In an abrupt turnaround from the city’s initial ban on all cannabis businesses following the drug’s statewide legalization in 2018, Ventura has approved six dispensary storefronts in the past year for its downtown district, double what the Ventura City Council first planned in 2021.
PICTURED: Renderings of the proposed art center were unveiled inside the unfinished building, which could also house a cannabis dispensary next door. Photo by Alex Wilson by Alex Wilson awilson@timespublications.com