Deadline approaching for all of Indio’s first cannabis shops to open for business
The first cannabis retail storefronts in Indio have opened for business more than eight months after the city approved licenses for five retail dispensaries.
Embarc, located on Towne Street in downtown Indio has been in operation since January.
West Coast Cannabis Club, which already had locations in Palm Desert and Cathedral City, opened shop on Highway 111 and Madison Street a little over a week ago, just before weekend two of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
"Every city has a different way of handling cannabis dispensaries and I think that Indio leadership has come up with a situation that allows for us to be successful, limits the number of licenses to a number that is more sustainable, versus whats happened in other neighboring cities, like Palm Springs," according to Kenneth Churchill, CEO & Co-founder of West Coast Cannabis Club.
The three other licensees, Culture Cannabis Club, Stiiizy, and Off the Charts, have yet to open their doors.
"Per city code, all of those businesses have to be in operation by July 26, 2024, unless the City Manager extends that timeline," according to Kevin Snyder, Indio's Director of Community Development. Snyder added that "each business that's not open by that date would have to present a reason why they need additional time."
Currently, the city charges dispensaries a quarterly fee of 6% under a Community Benefits Agreement that is comparable to a city tax.
"There's not an actual tax rate set yet because we will need to set up a voter initiative in order for that to happen. The city themselves are putting together their own ballot," said Churchill.
The city of Indio entered the cannabis market later than other cities throughout the Coachella Valley and has not issued as many licenses as others have.
"We won't have full data probably until at least the end of 2024, early 2025, when all these businesses have been opened and we can start to see the financial remunerations that they will make to the city," according to Snyder.
Watch News Channel 3 at 6:00 p.m. for the full report.
