New Superstore for Growing Medical Cannabis Opens in Oakland

Mercury News

The place has the feel of the nursery at a Home Depot, but the house plants, barbecues and sheds are replaced with hydroponic equipment, fans and nutrients for growing medical cannabis plants.

It's called iGrow, and the owner of the 15,000-square-foot superstore, Dhar Mann, describes it as a one-stop shop for medical marijuana patients who want to grow their own cannabis plants.

"What we are doing is taking the black market out of the (medical cannabis growing industry)," said Mann, the 25-year-old son of the owners of Friendly Cab, an Oakland-based company for more than three decades.

The shop was made possible, in part, by a City Council resolution that allows medical marijuana patients to have a maximum of 72 plants indoors, a 36-square-foot growing area, 20 plants outdoors and up to three pounds of dried marijuana.

"If you come in here with valid California identification and you have a medical recommendation or patient identification card, we will be open to talking to you about growing cannabis," said General Manager Justin Jorgensen.

And even if you don't, iGrow will have a doctor on site to write recommendations for those who qualify.

"He is going to ask for supporting (medical documentation), and if you don't have it you may or may not get approved," said Jorgensen.

The iGrow superstore, located at 70 Hegenberger Loop near the airport, isn't the first hydroponics store in the city, but Mann says it's the largest in the Bay Area. Like other stores, the shelves are stocked with various types of grow lights, fans, plant nutrients and additives, and growing containers.

Many City Council members are supportive of the store.

"It's going to create new job opportunities for residents," said Councilmember Larry Reid (Elmhurst-East Oakland), who represents the district where iGrow opened Thursday.

Reid said he is confident the store has enough security to keep out criminals looking to steal valuable equipment and products. And he said he is excited that the store could appeal to gardeners looking to improve their vegetable or flower gardens.

"It can be useful for those that want to just grow tomatoes or any other vegetable in their backyard," Reid said.

But the main focus of iGrow will be selling supplies for and giving classes about growing medical marijuana.

A portion of the warehouse will be sectioned off for the 25 online classes offered by the University of Cannabis, also recently launched and run by Mann. Courses cover everything from the "Global History of Hemp" to "Sharpening Your Green Thumb" to "The Brain, the Body & the Bud." Classes, which run from $40 to $60, can be taken at
iGrow or on your own computer, Mann said.

And then there's the Grow Squad, experienced indoor cultivators who will give three hours of complimentary in-person or over-the-phone advice to people interested in growing cannabis, Mann said.

"We want to educate you," Mann said. "And hopefully that education will cut down on some of the fires (in grow houses recently)."

Mann has been working on the $250,000 project, which included a new storefront and a complete overhaul of the long-vacant warehouse, since the fall.

Several hundred people attended Thursday's grand opening, which included speeches by Reid and Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan (at-large).



"The grow business is an economic opportunity for our city," Kaplan said. "We want to celebrate, we want to support and we want to uplift that to help pay for the parks, libraries and services that people need," referring to the fact that the business will generate tax revenue.

Dave Weddingdress, co-founder of the Harborside Health Center cannabis club in San Jose, also attended the event.

"We are happy to see these places open under reasonable regulations," he said.

Mann also had short videos from other elected officials, including Rep. John Garamendi, touting the project as a boon for urban agriculture and the city's economy.

"We're excited that iGrow was born in the epicenter of the cannabis movement," said Mann. "And we're even more thrilled to see the strong support that the city of Oakland and the community has shown us for the grand opening of our new business."