For this November member spotlight, we catch up with Cody Bass of Tahoe Wellness Cooperative, a patient-run medical cannabis cooperative in South Lake Tahoe, California. Cody talks with us here about his cooperative’s mission and values, his experience being raided earlier this year, and the new legislation in California. Cody currently serves on NCIA’s board of directors.

Cannabis Industry Sector:

Medical Cannabis Providers

NCIA Member Since:

2012

How do you uniquely serve the cannabis industry?

My life’s work is to free the cannabis plant. The perspective from working directly with the plant for nearly two decades has allowed me the vision to create a model that is unique. One thing that is unique about us is we use glass packaging at TWC for almost everything, which has created close to zero waste through our jar reusing program. We take a one dollar deposit on the jar when you purchase medicine and when you bring your jar back, you get your dollar deposit back. We installed a commercial dishwashing station and have virtually eliminated waste from our sales. This is one of many conscious standards and ethics you will find throughout Tahoe Wellness Cooperative.

Why should patients seeking medical cannabis go to Tahoe Wellness Cooperative?

To get the highest quality, pure cannabis in California, in a safe space from a knowledgeable and compassionate crew. Our staff is very knowledgeable about cannabis and will ensure a patient has the understanding to choose the medicine they need. Your contribution is supporting a cooperative that is providing a variety of services to our entire community free-of-charge at our Community Center, which is open to all. TWC’s compassion program provides cannabis for terminally-ill patients at no cost. There is also a safe space for our patients to medicate, as well as a hash bar where we teach our patients how to make solvent-free hash.

Earlier this year in the summer, your cooperative in California was raided by local authorities. Can you tell us more about that experience, and how you’ve moved forward?

On June 1st, we experienced a SWAT-style raid on TWC from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s office. This came as a major surprise to all of our members and broader community. Even our local police department was shocked and unaware. We are licensed by the City of South Lake Tahoe and had gone through the renewal process with the city, with which we have worked cooperatively, hand-in-hand over the past seven years. We work and communicate well together. We operate under a local ordinance which has been effectively removing licensed operators that were operating illegally. When our local police department produced evidence that showed two operators were doing illegal things, both of their licenses were revoked and they were closed. So why would the Sheriff’s office raid a city-licensed dispensary that was current with all tax filings and the local ordinance’s current requirements? At this point we still don’t have all the details, and we are pursuing the District Attorney and Sheriff’s office to get our property and damages for their clearly unlawful action. However, I don’t have any other info at this time because I would only be speculating – better to wait for the facts.

What are your thoughts on the recent cannabis legislation signed into law in your state, California’s Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act?

As many know, I have been very opposed to the legislation signed by Governor Jerry Brown two weeks ago. I am not against regulations; in fact, Tahoe Wellness Cooperative has been operating under a local ordinance for over four years and paid all the required taxes. What I am so opposed to is what I see as a licensing scheme because of the distribution license. Having a license is great for producing and dispensing cannabis, but not for the distribution. Here in California, we produce half of the cannabis that America currently consumes. If we don’t create markets that are approachable by the buyer and the farmer, we are only further driving cannabis underground. In California, we must re-create the open market with an initiative in 2016 that allows for farmers’ markets, auction houses, or cooperatives, where distributors could exist, but not be the only choice. The distributor-only legislation is what would destroy the open market of cannabis, the biggest cottage industry that could ever hit America.

Why did you join NCIA?

NCIA was the first organized effort to step outside of the pure advocacy related to cannabis and form a membership of responsible cannabis pioneers that could see the need to change issues on a national level that are crucial to the evolution of cannabis. So really I joined NCIA for a unified effort. Since that time it has been remarkable to witness how many people NCIA has educated on pure cannabis knowledge, best practices, and compliance.

Contact:

Tahoe Wellness Cooperative Website