Mitchell Salazar

Photo Credit: Joe Budd

“We now have an opportunity”

My name is Mitchell Salazar. I am 56-years-old, and from San Francisco, California. I've been blessed and honored to have served 35 years in San Francisco, working in various capacities; at the end of the day, helping people. 

I remember back when I served as an executive director of a non-profit social service agency, there was the cannabis club on Market Street. I would be a nervous wreck going down Market Street and entering the club to buy medical marijuana for people who were dying of cancer.

I was nervous because Market and Van Ness is a hub. Lots of people go there, and we were all probably filmed. It just blew my mind walking in there and buying cannabis and giving it to a 34-year old woman who was dying of cancer, and that was her portion of happiness for a moment―in order to relieve her pain, increase her hunger, or just chill her out.

Unfortunately, I've been around a lot of death, cancer particularly. I have seen loved ones that would've never done marijuana do it. My mother and little sister—I have a sister who is our matriarch of our family. Unfortunately, our mother died at 52 in 1988 of cancer. Her youngest daughter, my little sister who I raised, died in February of 2010 of cancer at 37, left two children. My older sister, who's still alive, had cancer back then too, had it removed, but her cancer came back. It came back to the point that she is retiring. She eats blueberry edibles, and she enjoys them. It provides her something. She was one of those that would contradict me a decade ago.

Regardless of race and class, humanity, love for your loved ones will never go away. Cannabis has now become a proven medical medicinal remedy for people to use. The pendulum has shifted. 

For many of us that grew up in this city, we now have an opportunity. Based on the way that this legislation was written to be rolled out, people like myself and others that have spent our entire life helping people in this city can position ourselves to be an equity partner.

One of the realities too, I'd say that is critically important, is to look at the various career paths that this industry is going to allow people to experiment in. I think it is extremely important that everyday people have a choice if they wanna be involved in a dispensary, if they wanna be involved with growing, if they wanna be involved in marketing, if they wanna be involved with manufacturing, if they wanna be a delivery guy. Whatever the various career paths that may come out of this, I think it will benefit everyday people here in San Francisco.