Even sitting at his “ease” in the house he built (Mercy Wellness), Brandon Levine is taut and nervy. His brain is a policy brain, restless, seeking, spinning and flashing. He is a leader, and he is a human vector, held in self-restraint.
Whether his journey through the ever shifting cannabis industry made him, or whether his inborn character suited him, Brandon Levine is a rare survivor. And he thrives, even amid the current industry conditions of mis-regulation, over-taxation, piratical rents, glutted supply, dropping prices, corporate-buyouts and fierce do-or-die competition.
This spring, surrounded by friends and work family, Levine celebrated the 15th anniversary of Mercy Wellness (whose branding evokes its medical-era founding). The occasion was marked to celebrate all they had achieved over a long journey—and to point to the future, for the event was held in Mercy Wellness Lounge, Sonoma County’s first ever cannabis “consumption lounge.”
That, friends, is the event I celebrate, for the idea of a “consumption lounge” is both new and old. My memory stretches back. Before the efficiency-geared high style dispensary, before the bullet-proof glass dispensary, there was the home-y homely cannabis club of the medical era. I remember clubs, mostly in San Francisco, that were true community smoke-out hangouts—anti-bars where bouncers were nice and the bartenders goofy. They were chill because the cultural tone is set by weed, not liquor. Inasmuch the struggling industry needs this, the North Bay needs this, a new set of venues and low-pressure hangouts.
As I entered, I passed a calendar of events and a small cabaret stage, then joined Levine in a cushy booth. Aromasoma played handpan.
Cincinnatus Hibbard: Congratulations, Brandon. Tell us about the new space. It’s big and open.
Brandon Levine: It’s a little under 3,500 square feet inside and like 6,000 square feet outside—about a third of which is unfinished—that will be a private party area. There are 160 lineal feet of windows, and it all opens to the outside. You can sit at “the bar” and be inside or outside. I’m building a second, much bigger stage on the outside, out of redwood. We have a scullery kitchen here we’re working on. We’re going to be building a wood fired BBQ and pizza ovens.
On the patio, fenced in by young redwoods and aspen, I see a hitch for a food truck around picnic tables. At our table, there are two menus, one for non-infused munchie snacks, and one for bud—flower, “flower flights,” pre-rolls, edibles, infused beverages, etc. At the bar, your “bud tenders” advise us on safe consumption advice?
Yes. And you can order from the dispensary at the bar and have it delivered to you. We have free papers and fresh glass for you to use and all kinds of devices. For a small fee, you can have unlimited day use of cartas, puffcos, gravity bongs and volcanos. Another thing we are hyper focused on is entertainment and experience. If you look at our calendar, you see a wide range of options—comedy nights, DJs, live bands, magic, a puff ’n’ paint, Bingo—surprisingly, Bingo was a big hit. There’re prizes.
How were you able to open the first consumption lounge in Sonoma County?
First, California State had to approve consumption lounges, but then your local jurisdiction—in our case, the city of Cotati has to pass a local ordinance approving it. They also need a guinea pig business.
Learn more. Follow the link, mercywellness.com, for a full event calendar. And if one can’t make it to the dispensary or lounge, Mercy Wellness delivers to large parts of Sonoma and Marin.
