When California voters passed Proposition 64 in 2016, the landmark initiative legalizing marijuana for adult use ushered in a new era in cannabis for the state. With the plant now legal in the state, millions upon millions of dollars flowed into California from investors eager to cash in on a potential gold mine of green. Multi-state operators set up shop, and corporate cannabis brands were soon plying their wares up and down the Golden State.
But while Prop. 64 was definitely ground-breaking, it wasn’t unprecedented. California had actually had legal cannabis since 1996, when it became the first state in the nation to legalize medical marijuana with the voters’ approval of Proposition 215. For two decades prior to Prop. 64, a determined group of entrepreneurs had provided California’s medical marijuana patients with their medicine of choice.
It wasn’t a risk-free proposition for these providers, however. Although medical cannabis was technically legal in California, marijuana was still illegal at the federal level and many local jurisdictions in the state still prosecuted medical collectives, forcing them to prove in court that their operations were for the benefit of legitimate patients.
This quasi-legal environment kept most corporate investment in California’s medical market at bay. Big money investors thought the regulatory environment was just too murky to risk their capital. This left serving the state’s medical marijuana patients largely to smaller operators that had the gumption to face the challenges inherent to the business, such as San Diego County’s Left Coast Extracts.
Left Coast Extracts Is SoCal OG
Alexandria and Colton, the owners of Left Coast Extracts, founded the company after Colton left the Navy. Following his distinguished military career, which included an assignment to the presidential honor guard in Washington, D.C., Colton discovered that cannabis had a positive impact on his health and wellness. Together, Alexandria and Colton, who are life partners, decided to launch a medical cannabis so they could share the benefits of the plant with others.
Colton and Alexandria soon learned that they had joined a community largely populated by like-minded people who were more interested in sharing the healing properties of cannabis than making lots of money. Cooperation in the face of shared challenges was the norm, while competition was secondary.
With the passage of Prop. 64, however, things began to change. New competitors, eager to tap into California’s lucrative adult-use cannabis market, were soon setting up shop and vying for customers. Proud of what they had begun, Alexandria and Colton decided that they, too, would make the changes needed to continue in the state’s new and tightly regulated environment. But they were determined to retain the character of their business, so the decision was made that Left Coast Extracts would remain a medical cannabis company focused on serving the needs of patients.
“Prop. 215 was kind of all about the culture and being part of a community, and so we wanted to keep that vibe in our brand,” Alexandria explains.
Building A Dream
Colton and Alexandria also resolved to remain independent, opting to self-fund their enterprise rather than be beholden to outside investors. It was a difficult proposition to make a reality, however. With the supply of real estate that is zoned for cannabis businesses severely limited, landlords jacked up the price of compliant properties. Despite the challenges, Alexandria and Colton were determined to find a way to make their dream a reality.
“I wouldn’t say that we were the littlest guy on the block, but we weren’t the kind of people who had a million dollars lying around, either,” she says.
Together, they decided that their business, which had been focused on supplying cannabis products directly to patients, would have to evolve. With the barriers to entry for retail licensing so high, Alexandria and Colton decided it was time to revise their business model.
“We’re going to change, we’re going to adapt ,and we’re going to modify in order to survive in the industry,” Alexandria remembers saying at the time.
Navigating the regulatory process wasn’t easy, but it paid off. Today, Left Coast Extracts is the first medical cannabis manufacturing business to be licensed in the city of Oceanside, California. From its brand new, state-of-the-art facility, the in-house manufacturing, marketing, packaging, and sales teams are ready to continue their tradition of excellent service to retailers and patients alike, all under the capable leadership of Alexandria and Colton.
Left Coast Extracts Products
The team at Left Coast Extracts manufacturers a variety of concentrate products crafted from quality, California-grown cannabis. With an extensive menu of potent and flavorful concentrates including shatter, diamonds, crumble, sauce, and badder, any fan of cannabis extracts is sure to find a choice perfectly matched to their taste. Rounding out the selection are additional products types that make medicating simple and efficient, such as vape cartridges and pods.
“There’s a little bit of Left Coast for everybody,” Alexandria explains. “People from all walks of life can enjoy and share our products.”
For connoisseurs of the best cannabis has to offer, Colton suggests Left Coast Extracts THC diamonds. Expertly crafted, they pack a punch like no other product can.
“We don’t put any diamonds on the market that are below 95% THC,” he says.
For patients who are looking for the most economical options to medicate, Colton recommends Left Coast Extracts shatter, noting that “it’s affordable, it all tests around 85% THC, and about 90% total cannabinoids.”
Left Coast Extracts: Doing What’s Right For The Community
But Left Coast doesn’t stop at manufacturing great medical cannabis products for patients across California. Colton and Alexandria are also intent on retaining the sense of community they are accustomed to by supporting causes that are meaningful to them.
“We want to show that cannabis businesses can bring a lot of good to the community at large,” explains Alexandria.
To that end, the company is eager to step up when Colton and Alexandria see that they can fill a need. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when personal protective equipment was in short supply, for example, Left Coast was able to secure 5,000 face masks from its supplier and donated them to first responders. The company has also been able to support veterans in need with a product donation to Weed for Warriors. And twice a month, the team can be found pitching in at beach cleanups up and down the Southern California shoreline.
“We’re all about the Left Coast love,” says Alexandria.
With its commitment to community and focus on quality, Left Coast Extracts continues to provide clean, safe, and consistent medicinal cannabis products to patients through licensed medical dispensaries and delivery services throughout California. All in a fashion that Alexandria says has become a mantra for the brand.
“Left Coast. Best Coast.”
