The City of Morro Bay seems to dig the role of pioneer. Early in April it became the first community in the Central Coast to welcome a

# medical marijuana dispensary. Four weeks later, Morro Bay broke new ground when the local chamber of commerce offered membership to Charles C. Lynch’s Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers. Friday, the dispensary officially joined, the first of its kind welcomed into a local chamber in central California, all available reports indicate.
 
A preliminary release raised the possibility that the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce was, in fact, the first in the nation. However, it appears West Hollywood snagged that honor back in 2001, when the city pushed its local chamber to invite the Los Angeles Cannabis Research Center. As the primary caregiver of CCCC, Lynch—who has always sought to keep the dispensary’s affairs out of the limelight—insisted pioneering is the least of his concerns, although, he’s certainly pleased with the community response. “We got the little sticker on the front door,� he said with a laugh. “They’ve treated us really well.�
 
Staff at the Chamber report they were impressed with the professionalism of operations at CCCC, but that ultimately the City Council makes the decision of what businesses can sit in the shadow of the rock. “We don’t discriminate,� events coordinator Suzi Schultz says. “The council made a unanimous decision to let them come in, so we gave them the same opportunity as any other new business.�
 
The induction gives the dispensary an air of validation as a commercial entity in the community, but the question remains of whether that will translate to greater county cooperation. Lynch reports that the county is working on a card ID system for patients, and he’s just now filing the paperwork for the commercial kitchen license that would allow CCCC to dispense edibles.