Cheech & Chong Come Home with First California Dispensary

SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, October 8, 2026 (Newswire.com) - After more than five decades at the heart of cannabis culture, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong are bringing it home.

This October, Cheech & Chong Dispensoria™ will make its California debut in Forestville in collaboration with locally owned In The Tree Apothecary. The new Sonoma County dispensary brings together the Cheech & Chong retail brand with a deeply rooted local team led by Brian Ohm and partners, combining Northern California cannabis, herbal remedies, and a neighborhood-focused retail experience under one roof.

Located at 10655 River Road in Forestville, Sonoma County, the new Dispensoria brings Cheech & Chong's signature humor, irreverence and counterculture spirit to the heart of California wine country, creating a retail experience that celebrates the past while looking firmly toward the future.

To mark the occasion, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong will appear together at the new Dispensoria's Grand Opening celebration on Saturday, October 24, including a special meet and greet with guests from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

"California is home. This is where so much of our story happened, so opening our first Dispensoria here feels pretty special," said Cheech Marin, Co-founder of Cheech and Chong's Cannabis Company. "To see how far cannabis has come in my lifetime and now have our name above the door of a dispensary here is a pretty incredible full-circle moment. And having my daughter Jasmine help bring it to life makes it even more personal."

The road to this moment has been more than 55 years in the making. Through comedy, film, music and advocacy, the duo helped challenge perceptions of cannabis long before legalization seemed possible. Their work brought cannabis culture into living rooms, theaters, and the broader American conversation, helping shape a cultural shift that continues today.

"We spent a lot of years fighting for the idea that cannabis shouldn't be treated like a crime," said Tommy Chong, Co-founder of Cheech and Chong's Cannabis Company. "Now we get to open a dispensary in California with our name on the door. That's progress, man. It took a while, but we made it."

A NEW CHAPTER FOR AN ICONIC BRAND

At its core, Cheech & Chong's Dispensoria concept was created to put personality and fun back into the cannabis retail experience while creating new opportunities for independent operators. Rather than replacing the local businesses that helped build cannabis communities, the Dispensoria model is designed to partner with them, pairing local ownership and market expertise with the brand, resources and infrastructure of Cheech & Chong.

In Sonoma County, Cheech & Chong is partnering with In The Tree Apothecary, bringing together local operators with deep roots in the community and one of the most recognized names in cannabis. The partnership reflects a founding principle behind the Dispensoria model: cannabis has always been built by communities, and no two communities are exactly alike.

Local operators understand the people and places they serve in a way that can't be replicated from a corporate office. By pairing that local knowledge and ownership with the resources, infrastructure and reach of Cheech & Chong, Dispensoria gives independent operators more tools to compete, grow and serve the communities they call home.

Cheech and Chong's Dispensoria locations are already operating in Massachusetts, Maine, Oklahoma and Montana, with additional states on the way. While each carries the unmistakable Cheech & Chong identity, the model is intentionally designed to preserve what makes each local business and community unique.

The Sonoma County location will feature a curated selection of products from Cheech & Chong alongside brands from across the industry. The space combines thoughtful retail design with unexpected details, humor and nods to the duo's history, giving longtime fans plenty to recognize while creating an experience designed for today's consumer.

Inside the Dispensoria, In The Tree Apothecary will bring another dimension to the experience through a plant-medicine practice that pairs curated flower and cannabis products with herbal formulations, tinctures, salves and wellness goods. Its assortment will feature products sourced from growers, herbalists and makers across the Russian River Valley and greater Sonoma County, creating a space that reflects the region's long-standing connection to plant medicine, craft and cultivation.

"What makes this space so special is that it doesn't feel like your typical rushed dispensary experience," said Brytany Melville of Forte Operations. "From the outdoor garden to the wellness offerings inside the Apothecary, it's a place where people can feel at home and want to stay a while."

For Jasmine Marin, Creative Director of Cheech and Chong's Cannabis Company and daughter of Cheech Marin, bringing the Dispensoria concept to California carried particular significance.

"There's a lot of history behind this brand, but my goal was never to create a time capsule," said Jasmine Marin. "I wanted to take all of that personality, nostalgia and humor and translate it into a space that feels fresh, elevated and unexpected. There are little details throughout that longtime fans will recognize, but the experience is designed for where the brand is going, not just where it's been. California is home for me too, so getting to create our first Dispensoria here alongside my dad and Tommy carries a lot of meaning. For us, this has always been more than a brand. It's family, and getting to bring that history home while building something new together makes this location especially meaningful."

"Cheech and Tommy fought the laws. We've spent the last several years fighting the paperwork," said Brian Ohm, In The Tree Apothecary. "Both of those fights were about the same thing - the right of ordinary people to work with this plant openly. Getting to open this shop together, with our name next to theirs, means a great deal to us. Our job now is simpler and harder: take care of this community every day after the party ends."

"Most of what's on our shelves comes from someone we know - a grower, a manufacturer, an herbalist, many of them within a few miles of this door," said Dylan Ohm, In The Tree Apothecary.

"For years around here, the only people who knew where the good stuff came from weren't allowed to say. Now it's on a sign with Cheech & Chong's name under it. Progress is strange," said Richard Brama, Josh Kasprzyk, BKR Brands.

CELEBRATING WITH THE COMMUNITY

Cheech and Tommy will celebrate this milestone Grand Opening the best way they know how: with the people who got them here. The duo will host a special meet and greet where guests can meet and snap a photo with the legends themselves.

When: Saturday, October 24th, 2026
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: Cheech & Chong's Dispensoria, 10655 River Road, Forestville, CA 95436

Guests can RSVP HERE and shop at the new Dispensoria through October 24. Customers who spend $100 or more and retain their receipt will qualify to participate in the meet and greet.

The first 250 qualifying guests to present their receipt at the event are guaranteed a limited-edition, pre-signed Cheech & Chong poster and the chance to meet the legendary duo. Cheech and Tommy will meet as many additional guests as time allows, so attendees are encouraged to pre-qualify before October 24th and arrive early on the day of to secure their spot.

Entry to the meet and greet is first come, first served. RSVP does not guarantee the opportunity to meet Cheech and Tommy or to receive a poster. Posters will be signed in advance, and no additional autographs will be available on-site.

A CALIFORNIA HOMECOMING

The opening represents more than another pin on the map for Cheech & Chong.

California is woven into the history of the duo and the culture they helped shape. More than 50 years after Cheech and Tommy began challenging cannabis stigma through comedy, their first California Dispensoria represents just how dramatically that landscape has changed.

The laws have evolved. The industry has grown up. Cannabis has moved from the counterculture toward the mainstream. And through it all, Cheech & Chong have remained unmistakably themselves.

Now, for the first time, the name that helped define cannabis culture for generations will hang above the door of a Cheech & Chong dispensary in their home state.

"There's something special about getting to do this here," said Tommy Chong. "California, this plant and the people who have stood by us through it all will always have a piece of our hearts. It feels good to be home."

For more information about the grand opening celebration and to learn more about how you can qualify to meet Cheech & Chong, visit cheechandchong.com

About Cheech and Chong's Cannabis Company

Cheech and Chong's Cannabis Company is the premier heritage cannabis lifestyle brand built on over 50 years of advocacy, entertainment, and education. Its mission is to provide high-quality, safe, and reliable cannabis products to consumers while promoting the benefits and positive impact of the plant. At Cheech and Chong's Cannabis Company, cannabis is more than just a plant - it is a lifestyle that brings people together and promotes well-being. The company's history and legacy are rooted in humor and activism, and it continues to honor those values today. Visit cheechandchongscannabis.com

About In The Tree Apothecary

Locally owned and operated in Forestville, Cheech & Chong Dispensoria + In The Tree Apothecary comes to Sonoma County. The dispensary features Northern California cannabis brands, herbal remedies, and an outdoor garden, reflecting the Russian River Valley's long-standing connection to cannabis and plant medicine.

CHEECH & CHONG and DISPENSORIA are trademarks of, or licensed for use by, Cheech and Chong's Cannabis Company.

Media Contacts

Cheech and Chong's Cannabis Company
Brooke Mangum
Chief Marketing Officer
brooke@cheechandchong.com

In The Tree Apothecary
Richard Brama
High@cheechandchongsonoma.com

SOURCE: Cheech and Chong's Cannabis Company

Source: Cheech and Chong's Cannabis Company

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