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Like any other respectable businessman, Matty Goodman likes to hand out business cards for his company. They are slick, professionally designed, and come with an expertly rolled joint.
Goodman is the owner of Seed of Health Wellness Center, a medical marijuana delivery business that recently started operating in Paso Robles. While his business cards might seem odd to some, Goodman says he wants to help reduce the stigma associated with marijuana, a goal he hopes to achieve, in part, by becoming a member of the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce.
“When you go to the Chamber of Commerce, you are talking to like-minded business people,” Goodman said. “It doesn’t matter what the product is, they are like-minded and they want to succeed in business first and foremost.”
The chamber, currently boasting hundreds of members, is a nonprofit organization with a mission to promote tourism and business throughout the Paso Robles community.
As of April 12, the chamber confirmed that Goodman had applied and said his membership application was referred to its executive committee for approval. If approved, Goodman’s company would likely be the first medical marijuana delivery business granted membership.
The passage of the California Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act and the voter approval of recreational marijuana last year has sparked a renewed interest in marijuana related businesses but also stoked anxieties from local municipalities over how an influx of such businesses will impact their city. SLO County’s various cities have passed or are shaping local ordinances, creating a patchwork of regulations on medical and recreational marijuana. Paso’s municipal code prohibits any commercial cultivation and any brick-and-mortar dispensaries, but it does allow medical marijuana delivery businesses like Goodman’s.
Goodman indicated that being accepted to the chamber would not only be beneficial to his business but would show that legal medical marijuana business were no different than any other companies.
“It creates a better environment for my patients not to be afraid of using their medicine,” he said.