Castro Castle preserving SF’s cannabis history facing uncertain future

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — From the outside, the bright exterior of the so-called Castro Castle might look like several homes in this notoriously colorful neighborhood.

But go inside, and you’ll experience a living piece of San Francisco history.

John Entwistle lives in the house he previously shared with his husband Dennis Peron.

Peron, who died in 2018, was a prominent cannabis activist.

In the 90s, he co-authored the proposition that would legalize medical marijuana in California, and ultimately became credited with changing the political debate about cannabis around the country.

Over the years, Entwistle and others have turned a portion of the home into a museum honoring Peron’s legacy.

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“Showing some of the 50 years of struggle. From the dark days when they would put you in jail for 10 years for giving a guy two joints, to today where you can legally buy it in most cities in America,” Entwistle said.

But Entwistle says the museum is facing an uncertain future.

After years of living there, Entwistle – who doesn’t own the home – says it’s likely he’ll soon have to leave.

He says the owners are planning to sell.

As a result, he’s looking for a new home for the cannabis museum, something he calls an important piece of American and San Francisco history.

“People come here looking to find out this story. They want to find out what happened here. That is a big part of San Francisco history,” Entwistle said.

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Peron’s brother, Brian, supports Entwistle’s plan to preserve his brother’s legacy.

The pair tell me they’re hoping to ultimately move the museum into a space downtown. A place where visitors can learn about the history of cannabis and San Francisco’s role in changing how the nation views it.

“Dennis changed the face of marijuana. People used to think it was just a bunch of hippies. But then he showed that there were old people who needed it also and that it wasn’t just a recreational thing but it was a medicine,” Brian said.

While marijuana has been fully legal in California since 2016, Entwistle believes there’s still more work to be done in other parts of the country.

That’s why he’s hoping one day this collection will serve as a lesson in hope.

“That’s the goal, is to inspire more people to do more things to make the world a better place,” Entwistle said.