Now Open: Cindy De La Vega Becomes First Latina Equity Partner to Open a Cannabis Dispensary in SF

Cindy De La Vega grew up sleeping on the floor to avoid stray bullets from the frequent shootings in her Sunnydale neighborhood during the height of the War on Drugs.

Today, with the opening of her Stiiizy Union Square store, she’s officially become the first Latina Equity Partner to own and operate a cannabis dispensary in San Francisco.

A mother of two, domestic abuse survivor, and long-time community activist with the City’s well known United Playaz group, Cindy is also a Verified Equity Applicant through San Francisco’s Cannabis Equity Program.

“I'm really passionate about cannabis equity because this is something that, if we do this right, we can actually give the people in our communities an opportunity to be more than the housekeepers, more than just reception,” said Cindy. “We can own our own lives.”

Established to combat the effects of the War on Drugs on targeted communities, the San Francisco Equity Program is now picking up momentum after initially launching in 2017. San Francisco now issued 11 permits to Equity Applicants, and Cindy joins Shawn M. Richard as the next Equity Applicant to open a dispensary with the support of SFEG.

In particular, Cindy wants her story to serve as a beacon of hope and perseverance for all the other Equity Applicants currently in the pipeline, and for potential Equity Applicants who may not even be aware the program exists. Born in St. Luke’s hospital to an immigrant mother from Mexico, Cindy has overcome poverty, domestic violence, and addiction to be where she is today.

“I never envisioned working in cannabis, being the owner of a store, but I do it for everyone similar to me. Especially for females, we didn't have the role models, the mentors, the programs,” continued De La Vega. “There's just a lot of talent that gets thrown away because girls don't have the guidance or the opportunity - this is my time to rise up and help.”

Cindy’s store, Stiiizy Union Square, is now open daily and is located at 180 O’Farrell St. in San Francisco. Keep an eye out for updates on the store and if you’re an Equity Applicant, contact us now to learn more about how we can help.