Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong are set to show up in person this Saturday for the grand opening of their first California Dispensoria, a cannabis store in Forestville that marks the comedy duo's debut retail location in their home state. The meet-and-greet runs from 2 to 4 p.m. Pacific on October 24, 2026, and it's free to attend with no RSVP required, handled strictly first-come, first-served.
According to the event page on cheechandchong.com, fans hoping to actually meet Cheech and Tommy need to spend at least $100 at the Sonoma County Dispensoria sometime between October 9 and October 24, then bring their receipt to the event. The site lists the meet-and-greet address as 10665 River Road in Forestville, though The Press Democrat reported the store's address as 10655 River Road — a discrepancy that remains unresolved between the two sources. Customers must also be at least 21 years old and show valid government-issued identification to get in, per the same cheechandchong.com listing.
The payoff for showing up early is tangible: the first 250 qualifying guests who present their receipt are guaranteed a limited-edition, pre-signed Cheech & Chong poster, the event page notes. It's a close echo of how the duo handled their first Maine shop opening, where the first 250 attendees at a Portland meet-and-greet also walked away with autographed posters, according to WMTW.
Who's Actually Running the Forestville Shop
There's some conflicting information about who Cheech & Chong's Cannabis Company is partnering with locally. The official event page describes the Sonoma County Dispensoria as operated in partnership with Yor Om Collective, calling it a local operator with deep roots in the community. The Press Democrat's reporting, however, names the local partner as In The Tree Apothecary. Neither account resolves the discrepancy.
What is clear is what's on the shelves: the Forestville store stocks Cheech & Chong favorites alongside a curated mix of Northern California cannabis brands, according to a Russian River Chamber of Commerce business listing at russianriver.com. Beyond flower and branded cannabis products, the shop also carries herbal formulations, tinctures, salves and other wellness goods, the same listing notes.
A Licensing Push Beyond California
The Forestville opening is a single storefront, but it sits inside a much bigger strategy. Cheech & Chong's Cannabis Company has built out eight stores in Montana, three in Massachusetts, three in Maine, one in Oklahoma and one in Guam—a listed total of sixteen—according to High Times, which also reported a total of fifteen stores operating or in build-out. The company is now targeting 100 store agreements within 12 to 18 months, the outlet reported, and says its licensing model lets retailers keep ownership of their stores while the company collects a 6% royalty.
That expansion hasn't come without industry skepticism toward celebrity cannabis ventures broadly. A Forbes analysis tracking 83 celebrity cannabis brands found 38 classified as defunct, with four more that never produced a single product. Forbes specifically named Cheech & Chong's Cannabis Co. among the brands with staying power, crediting it alongside Khalifa Kush and Garcia Hand Picked for having real products, cultivation relationships and consumer feedback before drawing press attention.
From Comedy Albums to Cannabis Storefronts
For Marin and Chong, the Forestville opening caps a career arc that stretches back more than five decades. The duo built their reputation through Grammy-winning comedy albums and films including Up in Smoke, released in 1978, while their cannabis advocacy pushed back against societal stigma and helped drive legal reform, The Press Democrat reported in its original coverage of the grand opening. Opening a licensed dispensary in their home state carries particular weight given that history.
Whether the Oct. 24 event draws the kind of crowd that lined up in Portland two years ago remains to be seen, but the Forestville event's spend, save your receipt, and line up for a shot at a free autographed poster resembles the Portland promotion.
