The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians is opening a cannabis dispensary in Yucca Valley. The Red Falcon Dispensary is located at the southeast corner of Highway 62 and Camino Del Cielo, across the highway from the Field Station Joshua Tree Hotel. The dispensary will open on Saturday, December 7, for regular operation.
Mark Malatesta, a representative for the Red Falcon Dispensary, explained that all products are made locally within the Coachella Valley and held to California state standards.
“We make all the products in-house; everything is made on Twenty-Nine Palms’ land over at our cultivation and manufacturing facility in Coachella. The DCC (Department of Cannabis Control) gave us permission to use California labs, so we have the same standards as California. We’re very strict about compliance and customer safety. I think it will be great for the community up there.”
At a Yucca Valley Planning Commission meeting on August 27, Town Staff addressed that the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians had proposed to build a travel center on Tribal Land at the intersection of Highway 62 and Camino Del Cielo. While Malatesta could not comment on that specific proposal, he did note that the Tribe is working on other projects at the site in addition to the Red Falcon Dispensary.
Photo: Adeline J. Wells
The Town of Yucca Valley has previously moved against allowing both medical and commercial dispensaries to operate within town limits. In 2015, 56% of Yucca Valley voters voted against Measure X, which would have allowed medical marijuana dispensaries to operate at a rate of one dispensary per 10,000 residents. In 2017, the Town Council passed an ordinance prohibiting marijuana dispensaries, commercial marijuana cultivation, deliveries, testing, and distribution. The Town revised its policy in 2023, allowing medical marijuana deliveries in compliance with State Senate Bill 1186.
As the Red Falcon Dispensary is on Tribal Land, the Town does not have any jurisdiction over business operations that take place there. However, Malatesta noted that the Town has been cooperative throughout the development process.
“Even though they don’t have any jurisdiction over us, we like to be good community members and let them know what we’re doing. The Sheriff’s Department is aware; they have visited all our facilities. We make sure that we are an open book for everybody.”
The Yucca Valley location is the third Red Falcon Dispensary the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians has opened, and the second in the Morongo Basin. In July, they opened a Red Falcon Dispensary in Twentynine Palms near Tortoise Rock Casino, joining a dispensary and a lounge located in Coachella.
The Red Falcon Yucca Valley Dispensary will open on Saturday, December 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
