Castro Dispensary Owner and Legendary SF Cannabis Activist Terrance Alan Has Died

"In the 1990s, the SFPD described Terrance Alan as part of Dennis Peron's gay weed mafia, and often busted Alan's parties. But once Peron, Alan, and Brownie Mary worked to legalize medical marijuana in 1996's Prop 215, Terrance Alan founded the nation's first ever nonprofit cannabis dispensary CHAMP (Californians Helping to Alleviate Medical Problems) right here in San Francisco. Alan has most recently been the owner of the Castro's Flore Dispensary, and co-founded City Hall's SF Entertainment Commission in 2009."

"Any of us would do well in life to earn the kind of writeup Alan got in this 2009 New York Times profile. As the Times described, Terrance Alan has worked in construction and owned strip joints, taught handicapped children and peddled low-budget gay pornographic movies, mostly starring Terrance Alan. These days Alan is best known as the founder and owner of the Castro's Flore dispensary, and was also the co-owner of the famed Cafe Flore across the street from 2016 to its then-closure in 2020."

Terrance Alan died at age 73 after decades of activism and business in San Francisco. He was an early cannabis organizer who worked with Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary to pass California's 1996 Prop 215. Alan founded CHAMP, the nation's first nonprofit cannabis dispensary, and later owned the Castro's Flore Dispensary. He co-founded the San Francisco Entertainment Commission in 2009 and co-owned Cafe Flore from 2016 until its closure. Earlier police records linked him to Dennis Peron's "gay weed mafia" and frequent party busts. Colleagues remember him as a tireless community advocate involved in many local projects.

Read at sfist.com