About Flore Dispensary
Flore Dispensary is our Church of Cannabis because in it we honor the incredible plant that heals us. From the way we source it to the way we display it, everything about our store is curated to celebrate cannabis grown in the historic farmlands of Humboldt County and throughout the Emerald Triangle.
Our History
Compassionate Cannabis
Terrance Alan, the founder of Flore Dispensary San Francisco, welcomes every person into his cannabis store like an old friend. That’s because everyone who shops at Flore contributes to a cause he has been passionate about for over 40 years: compassionate cannabis.
In learning the skills needed to grow cannabis outdoors and understanding the benefits of consuming cannabis, Terrance gravitated to the world mecca for sungrown cannabis, Humboldt County, where he met a diverse community of legacy growers. Many of these growers were veterans who served in the Vietnam War and were now seeking alternatives to a tumultuous urban environment. It was through Terrance’s first-hand experience in Humboldt where he found growing cannabis could be just as medicinal as consuming it.
Compassionate Use in San Francisco
In the 1980’s, Terrance was living in San Francisco and devoting much of his time to helping the gay community, including those suffering from AIDS. In providing compassionate cannabis, sick patients were able to improve their appetite and manage pain, nausea, anxiety and depression.
Once the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 (Prop 215) was passed, Terrance helped to open a medical cannabis store, CHAMP (Californians Helping to Alleviate Medical Problems), whose offices were in the former home of Dennis Peron’s San Francisco Buyers Club. CHAMP became most famous for a 4-year court case against the California tax board where they won, making medical cannabis in California non-taxable.
Helping the San Francisco Community
In the wake of Prop 64 which legalized adult-use recreational cannabis in California, Terrance opened Flore Dispensary with the purpose of continuing compassionate care: providing free or greatly discounted cannabis to San Francisco patients who qualify.
Terrance has stayed active in the San Francisco community by serving on the San Francisco Cannabis State Legalization Task Force, where he advised SF officials regarding industry regulation under Prop 64. He is currently a board member of the Castro Merchants, a nonprofit association ensuring the iconic Castro district stays vibrant and progressive. In addition, Terrance has been instrumental in boosting San Francisco’s social equity justice by ensuring cannabis licenses are provided to people that were affected by the War on Drugs.
Our Mural
Designed to memorialize the majesty of Humboldt County
As you enter Flore Dispensary, you’re greeted with a range of Humboldt-inspired textures and colors. Immediately you’ll notice the real redwood tree that stands at the entrance, so large it begs to be hugged. The ‘Hug Me’ sign hanging on it helps, too.
At the rear of the store, old-growth redwood is stacked in varied patterns wanting to resemble the stacks of lumber you see as you drive down Route 101 into Humboldt. The wall is topped with a coloring book-inspired mural of the Big Basin Redwoods State Park. From the beautiful flooring made from Kentucky-grown organic hemp to the custom hemp cabinets made by an Oakland-based LGBTQ+ designer, every detail was considered to achieve a friendly, natural interior that transports people to the Emerald Triangle.
Weaving cannabis into the fabric of our historic neighborhood
It was of utmost importance that we contribute to our neighborhood’s cannabis history, which is why we held an international competition to find the best mural design to display on the exterior of our building in Castro. Local neighbors and art experts helped us judge a pool of 17 applicants, and selected Dave Van Patten to design a mural on the side of our building.
Patten’s design tells the story of compassionate cannabis where legacy Humboldt farmers would donate 10-20% of their crop to CHAMP or other cannabis co-ops in San Francisco, allowing patients to receive medicine they normally couldn’t afford. On the left side of the design represents Humboldt and displays the words growth, community and future. On the right side, San Francisco is represented with the words equality, compassion and healing.
The mural has been named the first stop on The Cannabis Trail, which honors the pioneers, places and significant historical moments that paved the way for the legal cannabis access we have today. It’s a must-stop see and we welcome each and every one of you to take in the beauty on your next visit.
Our Cannabis
Keeping Humboldt’s sungrown legacy alive
Legacy cannabis farms in the Emerald Triangle’s Humboldt County–a region synonymous for growing high quality cannabis–are in danger of extinction. While largely a positive advancement, cannabis legalization enacted a series of hurdles making it nearly impossible for many farmers in Humboldt to stay in business.
Our mission is to help preserve these multigenerational farms and the knowledge they maintain by giving them a home at Flore Dispensary. Not only do we source from Humboldt-focused brands, we’ve also established our own Flore sungrown brand that will soon boast over a 100 strains native to Humboldt and the families that have been growing them for decades.
Contrary to popular belief, we believe sungrown flower is just as high quality as indoor flower. Just as you might prefer organic vegetables in the supermarket for their flavor and sustainable benefits, some people prefer sungrown cannabis. For decades, many of the sungrown cannabis farms we source from have been implementing innovative regenerative farming practices that take a 360 degree approach to conserving and rehabilitating the land.
While our extensive range of cannabis products will leave everyone who shops at Flore a happy camper, it is our hope that anyone can learn and enjoy the incredible experience of sungrown Humboldt cannabis.
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