Women, Wellness and Weed: Sahara Wellness

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Sahara Wellness Lobby Las Vegas Culture and Cannabis

The first time you walked into a dispensary, how did it feel? It can be overwhelming for some and a safe-haven for many. Instagram can provide a lot of different opinions. Ideally, it’s inviting, it’s all about patients and the power of the plant. More than most, Sahara Wellness prides itself on that and so much more. Owned by women who are no strangers to cannabis, this neighborhood shop is small but mighty… and only getting better.

Smiling faces, knowledgeable budtenders, and hand-painted art put you in a higher state of mind as you enter the humble medical shop. We relaxed by cascading waters as we waited to meet one of the ladies running this stripe-side shop. In passing, you can hear conversations about Terpene profiles vs. THC content. It’s a rarity in cannabis these days but, the genuine interactions were enough to sell me on this shop. Brenda Gunsallus came out to greet us with open arms and the same vibes as we talked about the company’s journey and their newest venture, a recreationally focused shop with the same care as the current one.

Patients First

We’re all patients.

No matter how long you’ve been shopping in the legal market or even working in it, I’m sure you’ve heard that sentiment. Despite this innate feeling amongst cannabis users, the focus is often skewed toward recreational needs. Back in 2017, when recreational cannabis sales kicked off, an obvious change occurred. An industry consumed by its need to help others switched gears to the thrills of recreational cannabis. As an unfortunate result, medical cannabis and the people who needed it took a backseat. The three women who run Sahara Wellness, however, refused to follow that pattern.

Sahara Wellness show room Las Vegas Culture and Cannabis

“I can teach people about cannabis, and I can teach people about business, but I can’t teach people to care about other people. And that’s what I look for in hiring employees, people that care about others.”

-Brenda Gunsallus

With fellow medical patients Alex Stevenson, Stacy Huffman and her husband Curtis, Sahara Wellness was born. That was 4 ½ years ago and this woman-owned business has made a powerful name for itself, aiming that care towards women and veteran’s wellness with the medicinal properties of cannabis as a defining factor. They now cultivate, produce, and distribute all of their own product with community and quality in mind. If being the only woman-owned cannabis dispensary in Las Vegas wasn’t enough, they’re adored by every corner of the city.

Your Favorite Neighborhood Shop

Just as they’ve helped reshape the heart of the medical market, Sahara Wellness is now helping reshape the older Las Vegas Art District. with a new dispensary. While their current shop is all about medical patients, the newest will focus on recreational needs just a few blocks from Fremont East. Sharing their brands Circle S and Discreet, among some local favorites, they will continue to provide their ‘No Shortcuts’ care to recreational service, cultivation, and production. As Brenda reminded me, it’s not just about being fast in this industry, it’s about being right! With two shops, I forget no one and nothing is over-prioritized. The same friendly and fast service will now cater to every type of cannabis consumer. 

Community means a lot to our industry. Without it, we wouldn’t be here today. From activism to the general concern for those looking to cannabis for answers, the community is all we really have. For everyone at Sahara, that sense of community and care seems to be their guiding light. No matter if you are new to cannabis or new to shopping at a dispensary, their promise is to educate and elevate every step of the way. Regardless of your interest being medical or recreational, everyone is using cannabis as medicine… even if they don’t know it. Let Sahara Wellness be your new favorite shop for all of your cannabis needs!

Be on the lookout for Sahara Wellness’ newest location, CannaStarz, opening later this summer. Pick up a fresh batch of Culture & Cannabis products and get some of that neighborhood love while you’re at it!

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Picture of Joycelin Arnold

Joycelin Arnold

Dating back to 2012, Joycelin has wrote for various online Video Game publications covering events and launches regularly. Cannabis has been with her throughout the journey, however. She officially joined cannabis industry in 2016 as a budtender and begin writing for brands and magazines in 2017. Outside of cannabis, she writes science fiction with one published novel, Siren, so far.

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