Even sitting at ease in the house he built Mercy Wellness Brandon Levine radiates a taut, restless energy. His is a policy mind, always seeking, spinning, and flashing with ideas. As founder and CEO, he’s a leader and a survivor in one of the most turbulent industries in California.
Whether his journey through the shifting cannabis market forged him, or his character was already built for it, Levine has endured. He continues to thrive despite mis-regulation, over-taxation, glutted supply, dropping prices, corporate buyouts and do-or-die competition. Mercy Wellness has not only survived it has innovated.
This spring, surrounded by friends and his “work family,” Levine celebrated the 15th anniversary of Mercy Wellness. The milestone wasn’t only about looking back. It was about pointing forward, marked by the opening of Mercy Wellness Lounge Sonoma County’s first cannabis lounge.
For longtime consumers, the concept feels both new and familiar. Before high-style dispensaries and bulletproof glass, there were homey cannabis clubs where people gathered, shared, and connected. Today’s cannabis lounge updates that model for a regulated era—community-oriented spaces that reflect the mellow cultural tone of cannabis rather than alcohol. The North Bay needs exactly this: a new network of low-pressure venues, welcoming and creative.
Inside Mercy Wellness Lounge, the vibe is part cabaret, part café. Guests pass a calendar of events, a small stage and handpan music before settling into cushy booths. At roughly 3,500 square feet indoors and another 6,000 outside, the space offers a mix of cozy corners and open air. Redwood fences and young aspens frame the patio. A scullery kitchen, wood-fired BBQ and pizza ovens are underway. Food trucks roll up to picnic tables.
Two menus greet each table—one for non-infused snacks, one for cannabis products: flower, flights, pre-rolls, edibles, and infused beverages. Budtenders at “the bar” offer safety tips, while customers can order from the dispensary and have it delivered to their seat. Free papers, fresh glassware, and devices from Puffcos to volcanos are available, with unlimited day-use for a small fee.
Entertainment is central to this cannabis lounge experience. Comedy nights, DJs, live bands, magic shows, puff ’n’ paint sessions and even Bingo (a surprise hit) fill the calendar.
Getting here took years. California had to legalize consumption lounges, and the City of Cotati had to pass a local ordinance and find a business willing to lead. Mercy Wellness stepped up.
Fifteen years in, Brandon Levine is still innovating. With Mercy Wellness Lounge, he’s not just opening a cannabis lounge he’s opening a door to community, creativity and the next chapter of cannabis culture in Sonoma County.