Crystal Nugs is Sacramento’s Premier Cannabis Destination. With fully licensed dispensary, delivery, and soon-to-open consumption lounge operations, we continue to set the standard for cannabis in Northern California. As the first 100% women- and minority-owned dispensary and delivery service in Sacramento, Crystal Nugs is more than just a brand—it’s a movement. From our award-winning retail space to our convenient delivery service and upcoming lounge experience, we’re proud to be featured in leading press outlets for shaping the future of cannabis culture. Explore all of our latest media features and press coverage to see why Crystal Nugs is recognized as a trailblazer in the Sacramento cannabis community.
Sacramento gives green light to cannabis cafes
Michelle Bandur Sep 17, 2025 – SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento City Council has approved cannabis cafes, allowing adults aged 21 and over to consume cannabis products in designated spaces, with Mayor Kevin McCarty casting the deciding vote. Maisha Bahiti, owner of Crystal Nugs at 2300 J Street, expressed excitement about transforming space that’s been empty for years into a cannabis lounge. “We did construct a 1,500 square foot, with the hopes one day the lounge opportunity would become available,” Bahiti said. She plans to cater to upscale entertainment and anticipates significant business growth. “I expect that this is going to be a huge thing, not only for business, but for our customers as well,” Bahiti said. Read Full Story Here
Sacramento dispensaries see a boost in business on Easter Sunday
Andres Valle Apr 20, 2025 – SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento dispensaries saw a big boost in business on Sunday for 4/20. Recognized as a day to celebrate all things cannabis, this year’s 4/20 coincided with the Christian holiday of Easter, creating a unique overlap of festivities. Read Full Story Here
Sacramento will get 3 new marijuana dispensaries with city council’s support
Mathew Miranda March 26, 2025 – Sacramento City Council unanimously approved a resolution on Tuesday that paves the way for three new marijuana dispensaries in the city. The city is currently home to 34 operational storefront dispensaries and is capped at 40 per city code. An ordinance change will be brought to the council in the coming weeks and is expected to create a new limit of 43 dispensaries. Read Full Story Here
Sacramento dispensary ready to diversify with legalization of cannabis cafes in California
Tori Apodaca January 2, 2025 – SACRAMENTO – Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes are being legalized in California, as part of the many new state laws going into effect in 2025. San Francisco and West Hollywood already have cannabis consumption lounges, but this law will allow them to start serving food and non-alcoholic drinks plus bring in live entertainment. Right now, Sacramento has plenty of dispensaries, but it does not have any lounges where you can smoke inside. The change in law is an opportunity for marijuana businesses to capitalize, creating what they hope will be a safe and social smoking space. “It’s something brand new here in Sacramento,” said CEO of Crystal Nugs on J St. in Midtown Sacramento Maisha Bahati. Read Full Story Here
California’s New Cannabis Laws: Sacramento prepares for consumption lounges
Gurajpal Sangha January 2, 2025 – SACRAMENTO, Calif — As California enters the new year, cannabis enthusiasts are anticipating significant changes to the state’s laws that could boost the local economy. The legalization of cannabis consumption lounges, which includes Amsterdam-style cafes where dispensaries can serve food, drinks and host live music, is now in effect. Sacramento is already taking steps to implement these new rules. Read Full Story Here
Sacramento business owners plan to resurface cannabis tax issue with City Council
Annika Merrilees December 26, 2024 – Fresh off a win in a yearslong fight to gain city approval for a pilot program for cannabis lounges, the next battle for Sacramento’s cannabis industry will likely involve taxes. Business owners argue that legal pot growers, manufacturers, distributors and sellers are taxed to the extreme, and that companies struggle to compete with illegal or unregulated products. Read Full Story Here
Barriers to entry – Participants in a city program for cannabis entrepreneurs are struggling to open their businesses
Jake Abbott Dec 2, 2024 – Sacramento’s Cannabis Opportunity Reinvestment and Equity, or CORE, program was established to bring new opportunities to the local cannabis industry, but the 10 additional dispensary permits it created have yet to be fully realized. Read Full Story Here
Sacramento green-lights cannabis consumption lounge pilot program
Jake Abbott Nov 20, 2024 – Sacramento City Council adopted an ordinance establishing a pilot program for cannabis consumption lounges at dispensaries within the city. Shown here is Midtown Sacramento dispensary Crystal Nugs, which is planning to open a consumption lounge in the future. Read Full Story Here
Sacramento’s cannabis lounge pilot program passes in city council vote
Cecilio Padilla November 19, 2024 – SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento City Council has given the green light for a cannabis lounge pilot program. City leaders passed an ordinance in a controversial 5 to 4 decision — with Mayor Darrell Steinberg casting the deciding vote — that will allow the social consumption of marijuana at select dispensaries. A new California law gives cities and counties the power to allow cannabis lounges, also known as Amsterdam-style cafes. Sacramento now joins places like West Hollywood and San Francisco in allowing this new type of business. The idea has faced some pushback. Read Full Story Here
Sacramento dispensaries may soon offer on-site consumption
Jackson Ellison October 8, 2024 – SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A pilot program allowing onsite consumption at dispensaries could soon be launched in Sacramento. Consumption lounges are located in several cities throughout California. The Sacramento city council has researched the impacts over the past few years in deciding if they should be allowed in the city of trees. Read Full Story Here
Sacramento cannabis dispensary builds special room that could be city’s first pot lounge
Steve Large October 2, 2024 – SACRAMENTO – A new California law gives cities and counties the option to allow dispensaries to sell food and provide live entertainment, creating a so-called Amsterdam-style cafe culture with cannabis lounges. Maisha Bahati owns Crystal Nugs cannabis dispensary and has built a special room that could become Sacramento’s first pot lounge. “Very new but it’s definitely wanted,” Bahati said. Inside her dispensary is a “Doobie Den,” which would allow on-site smoking with the possibility of serving food and hosting live entertainment. Read Full Story Here
City of Sacramento develops pilot program for cannabis consumption lounges
Maricela De La Cruz Oct 2, 2024 – SACRAMENTO, Calif. The state of California gave the green light for cannabis cafes. A bill signed by Governor Gavin Newsom will allow dispensaries to expand their businesses. This law essentially gives power to cities and counties to decide if they want to allow cannabis consumption lounges. The move is an opportunity for Maisha Bahati, who’s been pushing for this to become a reality. She’s been following all of these conversations and making sure to get everything to create a safe cannabis consumption lounge, which she noted would be a members-only experience. Read Full Story Here
Sacramento puts on hold proposal to allow more cannabis dispensaries
Kristin Lam August 21, 2024 – A Sacramento City Council committee on Tuesday put on hold a proposal to increase the maximum number of cannabis dispensaries by half after current owners said the market is oversaturated. City staff recommended raising the cap from 40 to 60 to give more participants in the city’s cannabis equity program opportunities to start businesses. But the council’s law and legislation committee said Sacramento first needs to expand where dispensaries can be located. Read Full Story Here
Working through the challenges and successes in cannabis | Black History Month
Author: Jeannie Nguyen February 21, 2024 – SACRAMENTO, Calif — ABC10’s celebration of Black History Month continues with a look at the obstacles Black women-owned cannabis businesses face. Four Black women share their stories of how they work to support and create opportunity for people of color within their industry. Read Full Story Here
New cannabis dispensaries bring Sacramento closer to reaching social equity goals
Ken Magri February 1, 2024 – Maisha Bahati stands proudly inside her new storefront. “We took so many risks,” she says. After four years of hard work and worry, Crystal Nugs cannabis delivery service opened a walk-in dispensary on J Street in Midtown Sacramento in November. “This building had been boarded up for years. It was an eyesore,” Bahati says. “But we introduced ourselves, talked to people in the neighborhood, the Midtown Association, and got our conditional use permit.” Read Full Story Here
Sacramento’s first Black woman-owned cannabis dispensary opens in midtown
Marcus D. Smith Dec 21 2023 – Two years ago, Sacramento native Kynndal Cornelius placed an online order for cannabis delivery with Crystal Nugs and, upon arrival, she asked her delivery driver if they were hiring. She immediately followed up with an email and was later interviewed to become a driver; she was hired on the spot. Cornelius still works for the same company, but now she is a budtender at its dispensary that opened last month at 2300 J St. in midtown Sacramento. “I like it here,” Cornelius said. “I get to just be myself and talk to just anyone that comes through those doors.” Read Full Story Here
Sacramento’s first Black woman-owned cannabis storefront dispensary opens in midtown
Orko Manna Dec 9, 2023 – SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento’s first Black woman-owned storefront cannabis dispensary just opened, due in large part to the city’s Cannabis Opportunity Reinvestment and Equity (CORE) program. Crystal Nugs is the fourth storefront dispensary to open as a member of the CORE program. CEO Maisha Bahati said Crystal Nugs, which started as a delivery service, would have never been able to expand to a physical store in midtown without the city’s help. Read Full Story Here
First Black woman-owned cannabis dispensary in Sacramento opens storefront
Vicente Vera December 7, 2023 – SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Crystal Nugs recently became the fourth cannabis storefront under Sacramento’s Cannabis Opportunity and Equity (CORE) program — and the city’s first Black woman-owned dispensary. “Knowing that Crystal Nugs is setting a precedent and creating opportunities for others feels truly empowering,” said CEO and co-founder Maisha Bahati. “CORE provided me with close to $200,000 in both grants and loans. That helped substantially with the financial costs incurred for our construction build-out phase of Crystal Nugs.”
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Could cannabis consumption lounges be a thing in Sacramento? City leaders mull idea
KCRA Sep 21, 2023 – SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The city of Sacramento is looking into potentially allowing cannabis consumption lounges at dispensaries in the city. This means that onsite consumption of cannabis would be a possibility for Sacramentans. A possible pilot program was discussed at Tuesday’s council meeting, leading local cannabis business owners to jump at the idea. Maisha Bahati, CEO of Crystal Nugs, is opening up a new two-story dispensary in the heart of midtown Sacramento and she’s ahead of the game. Read Full Story Here
Sacramento Officials Pause Plan to License More Cannabis Dispensaries
By Graham Abbott – August 23, 2024 City officials in Sacramento this week voted to put on hold a proposal to increase the number of cannabis dispensary licenses in the city by 50%. City officials in Sacramento, California this week paused a proposal seeking to increase the number of cannabis dispensary licenses in the city by 50%, CapRadio reports. Read Full Story Here
Sacramento’s Black women-owned marijuana delivery service Crystal Nugs plans to expand
DeNeeka Hill Apr 23, 2023 – Crystal Nugs CEO Maisha Bahati hopes to open a dispensary later this summer. There’s the possibility of it becoming Sacramento’s first consumption lounge, she said. Read Full Story Here
Sacramento Announces Crystal Nugs Finalists For New Pot Shop Permits
On Thursday, city leaders announced the finalists for ten new pot shop permits. The demand for these licenses is huge and big money is at stake. Read Full Story Here
Cannabis entrepreneurs plan manufacturing, distribution, incubator space in North Sac
After becoming among the first Black women in the Sacramento region to run their own cannabis businesses, Maisha Bahati and Miko Banks are looking to extend opportunities to others looking to get into the local industry. Read Full Story Here
The legal cannabis industry booms during the pandemic while backdoor drug dealers struggle, and cartels turn to social action while their business is at a standstill.
See Crystal Nugs on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah – Watch the video Here
Cannabis practices in coronavirus era
Bahati said that every Crystal Nugs product has been popular, including flower, cartridges, edibles, tinctures and bath bombs. “Initially, many customers stated they were stockpiling because they weren’t sure if cannabis retailers would remain open,” she said. Read Full Story Here
Dispensaries, Local Breweries See More Customers Coming To Stock Up
Crystal Nugs, a delivery dispensary, said orders have doubled. “It’s just been non-stop. A lot of the orders are starting as soon as we open at 8:30 and they’re going constantly by the time we close at 9,” Maisha Bahati, co-founder of Crystal Nugs, said. Watch video here
How marijuana prohibition blocks people of color from getting into the legal cannabis industry
Decades of marijuana prohibition and high incarceration rates for marijuana convictions has left many Black and Hispanic people out of the legal marijuana boom. Read Full Story Here
California marijuana sales surge amid COVID-19 business closures
Marijuana dispensaries are seeing a boost in sales after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all non-essential businesses to close their doors.
Maisha Bahati is the co-founder of Crystal Nugs, the first minority and women-owned cannabis delivery service in Sacramento. “Business has been great, especially this last week,” Bahati said. Read Full Story Here
Women of color in the cannabis industry | Extended interview with Maisha Bahati
Maisha Bahati is co-owner of Crystal Nugs, Sacramento’s first women and minority-owned cannabis delivery service. She wants to see more women of color in the cannabis industry. Read the full article: https://bit.ly/38ApYm3
Minority-owned business forges path in local cannabis industry
Crystal Nugs is part of an emerging undercurrent of independent, minority-owned businesses in Sacramento’s cannabis scene.
Read the full article: Here
Crystal Nugs Enters the Sacramento Marketplace
The first Black-owned Cannabis delivery company, Crystal Nugs, in Sacramento has joined the ranks of white dominated industry of dispensaries across America. NBC reports that Whites make up more than 80 percent of marijuana business owners, compared with only 4.3 percent of Blacks. But more people of color are entering the industry…
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Delivery Divas
The women behind Crystal Nugs aim high as one of the area’s first female-owned cannabis delivery services in the area.
Sacramento businesswoman Melina Brown and fashion designer Maisha Bahati walk to a warehouse off Richards Boulevard. The two enter the vacant building, where the first thing they come across is cardboard hanging from the ceiling and concrete walls cracked down to the dirt-covered cement floors… Read Full Story Here
24 Cities Sue State Over Regulations, Trying To Put An End To Pot Delivery
SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) — Two-dozen municipalities across California coming together to try to put an end to pot deliveries. Eleven local cities from Solano to Stanislaus counties have joined the lawsuit.
The state policy says marijuana companies can drive around and make home deliveries anywhere in the state, but leaders from 24 cities now want local control over who can deliver and where. Some marijuana companies say regulating deliveries will put the brakes on their businesses for good.
Maisha Bahati is co-owner of a new marijuana business: “Crystal Nugs.” The company only does delivery…
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