Drive-Thru Dispensary Opens in Southern California

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]H[/dropcap]arborside Desert Hot Springs located in Desert Hot Springs, California calls itself the “second dispensary drive-thru” in the state and the first in the Southern California region. A grand opening ceremony took place on Dec. 7 with celebrity appearances from Jim Belushi and Steve DeAngelo.

Located on Paul Road, the dispensary is located near Interstate 10. Through a legal loophole, Harborside was able to open despite drive-thrus being illegal under state law. Only dispensary applicants who submitted an application for a drive-thru service before June 2018 are eligible to open one.

“If they are on the way to the Coachella Festival or any other large event we are just two turns of the I 10 Palm Drive exit. This will be our third California location and our first drive-thru,” DeAngelo told NBC Palm Springs.

Drivers can pull up to one of the dispensary’s two windows and select items from a limited menu specific to the drive-thru. The driver of the vehicles then presents their ID to be scanned for age verification. Passengers won’t have to furnish their ID.

“There are a lot of people especially here where we have a large senior population who have mobility issues,” DeAngleo added. “They have difficulty moving from the car into the building and then standing in line.”

Join us Saturday for our fabulous #grandopening celebration! Meet @steve.deangelo & special guest @jim_belushi, plus try out California’s newest drive-thru experience ??#harborside #drivethru #grandopening #cannabis #dispensary #changeoverstatusquo #harborsideDHS pic.twitter.com/jAqccdfvxY

— Harborside (@Harborside_Oak) December 5, 2019

Harborside Desert Hot Springs General Manager Tom Grigor wants to normalize cannabis like other agricultural products. “We shouldn’t be making people jump through hoops to buy legal cannabis,” Grigor told the Desert Sun. “You should be able to buy it the same way you buy anything else: fruits, vegetables, soda pops, whatever.” At Harborside Desert Hot Springs, you can find cannabis brands like Kiva, Terra, Select, Care by Design, as well as locally-grown brands like Canndescent.

In addition, customers can pre-order items online and simply pick them up in the drive-thru. Harborside Desert Hot Springs accepts debit cards as well as cash for payment. The dispensary location is also adjacent to Pure Healing Cannabis Clinic, where people can receive a recommendation for medical cannabis.