ARVIN, Calif. (KERO) — The City of Arvin is creating new opportunities for the cannabis industry in the Central Valley. On Wednesday, March 29, the Arvin City Council proposed a new law that would allow for physical dispensaries to open in Arvin.
Chuck Shakta, co-founder and vice president of 420 Kingdom, says he appreciates how cannabis-friendly Arvin has already been.
"I believe it shows the support of the city just in general for the cannabis industry, that the city is actually in line with how California views cannabis and safe cannabis," said Shakta.
420 Kingdom grows and tests their own cannabis to ensure their products are safe for their patients and adult customers, according to Shakta. They are a delivery service, and Shakta says they don't plan to change their business model even if the city passes the ordinance.
"We don't feel that we would operate storefront at this time because the population is Arvin is… I don't feel it would really sustain the delivery service and a brick and mortar," said Shakta.
Shakta began 420 Kingdom 5 years ago in Arvin with co-founder Jeffrey Thorn. They chose Arvin because Bakersfield wasn't friendly to the cannabis industry.
420 Kingdom secured the first cannabis license in Kern County and now employ more than 100 people from Bakersfield and Arvin.
"We really feel that our delivery service is the business model we're going to stick with. We have a very aggressive delivery service that you can receive the product within an hour. It's a service that's convenient for the patient and the customer," said Shakta.
23ABC reached out to the Arvin City Council for comment, but had not heard back from them as of news time. However, both the city and 420 Kingdom offer resources regarding cannabis and hemp on their websites.
"There's a lot of educational, there's a lot of questions that you can ask that we'll answer," said Shakta. "Our budtenders, our ambassadors, are always willing to talk to new customers, new patients, to explain to them the benefits behind consuming cannabis versus the pharma world."
The Arvin City Council will vote on this ordinance at their next meeting on April 11, 2023.
