Born in New Mexico. Built to Last.
New Mexico's Most Trusted Cannabis Dispensary
Verdes Cannabis has been part of New Mexico since 2010 — before recreational legalization, before cannabis was mainstream, and long before most of the dispensaries you see today existed.
We started as one of the state's first dispensaries, operating quietly in an era when stigma and legal restrictions kept the industry in the shadows. No flashy storefronts. No marketing. Just a genuine belief that cannabis could improve people's lives, and a commitment to doing it right.
Sixteen years later, that belief still drives everything we do.
A Higher Standard From Day One
When registered nurse Rachael McLaughlin joined Verdes in 2010, she brought something the industry was missing: a genuine standard of care. Cannabis was not just a product to us — it was a tool to support health, wellness, and quality of life. That perspective shaped everything from how we train our staff to how we talk to our customers.
In 2014, Rachael and Eric Speegle took full ownership of Verdes and redefined what a dispensary could be. They opened up the retail experience, elevated the product quality, and built something New Mexico had never seen — a cannabis company that took education, patient support, and workforce investment as seriously as the product itself.
That same year Verdes became a founding member of Women Grow, Rachael helped establish the New Mexico Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, and the company made a clear commitment to paying its employees living wages. Not because it was required. Because it was right.
Meet the Owners
Rachael McLaughlin
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Owner
Eric Speegle
Founder and Co-Owner
Rooted in Community. Invested in People.
Verdes has never been just a place to buy cannabis. From the beginning we have seen ourselves as a community partner — and we have backed that up with action.
We developed a cannabis curriculum for Central New Mexico Community College's Ingenuity Program, offered free of charge to anyone who wants to build a career in the industry. We have created internship programs for aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs, opened our operations as a learning environment for social equity license holders, and shared our expertise, systems, and resources with operators across the country.
Rachael has been appointed twice by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to serve on New Mexico's Cannabis Regulatory Advisory Committee — bringing the Verdes perspective to the conversations that shape the industry for everyone.
We invest in our people the same way. Our staff earn above-market wages and real benefits because we believe exceptional customer experiences start with exceptional employee experiences. Walk into any Verdes location and you will feel the difference.
Grown Here. Made Here. Sold Here.
Verdes is vertically integrated and 100% New Mexico owned — and we have built every bit of it without outside investment.
We cultivate cannabis and manufacture and package our products in a state-of-the-art facility, controlling quality at every step from seed to shelf. Every product on our shelves — house or third-party — meets our standard for quality, safety, and consistency. We test beyond baseline requirements and maintain a formal quality management system because our customers deserve to know exactly what they are getting.
No outside money means no outside priorities. We answer to our community, our customers, and our employees — and we make decisions with longevity in mind, not short-term returns.
Ready for What's Next
When recreational cannabis went live in New Mexico in 2022, Verdes was ready. The locations, the team, the product quality, and the community trust were already in place. We did not pivot or scramble — we simply opened our doors wider.
Today we operate six dispensaries across Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and Santa Fe, with three more in development. We are New Mexico's most awarded dispensary — five consecutive years as Best Dispensary in Albuquerque and a sweep of the Santa Fe Reporter's Best of Santa Fe awards. Our Santa Fe locations have been featured in Vogue.
We are not done. But we are building the right way — with the same values, the same discipline, and the same commitment to New Mexico that we started with in 2010.
Come See Us
We have six locations across New Mexico and three more on the way. Find the Verdes nearest you and experience the difference for yourself.