6 Ways to Tell if Your Dispensary is Legal

In Los Angeles, did you know there are more illegal dispensaries than legal ones currently operating? With 2018 fast approaching, adult-use cannabis will be readily available however, illegal dispensaries will continue to exist for while. Here are 6 things to guide you to legal dispensaries. 

Not all dispensary listing services are created equal. Here at Hopegrown, because we have visited every dispensary on our network we make sure they are reputable establishments. As the Angie's List and WebMD for medical marijuana we strive to give patients the best experience possible. Check out our dispensary finder to find a patient-focused legal shop near you today!  

•  One thing I have come to realize is that dispensaries that are open beyond 8 pm are probably operating illegally. The current law allows for dispensaries to operate between the hours of 10 am to 8 pm daily. Whether they have a pre-ICO license or not, operating beyond 8 pm is a direct violation of that license which leaves the store open to being shut down or raided at any given time.

Legal dispensaries in the city of Los Angeles are obligated to pay taxes. So if the dispensary you patronize doesn’t indicate a tax fee on your order, this implies that they are not duly registered and as such not required to pay tax. If your receipt is handwritten or there is no tax specified or stated therein, it merely means the store isn’t paying taxes, and as such it is illegal.

The law requires that you present an ID or your MMJ recommendation as evidence before you can purchase cannabis. Irrespective of your status in the store be it a regular customer or a newbie it is required you provide one of these every time you intend to purchase cannabis. A store that doesn’t demand a means of photo id or MMJ recommendation before purchase shows merely the store is operating illegally.

Sure we all like to have a drag or smoke at the point of sale. However, we should be careful to avoid stores that allow you to consume cannabis at their stores. If you happen to be patronizing such stores where the seller is offering you the opportunity to take the product at the point of sale, my advice would be to change stores as it is certain the store isn’t operating legally.

It is illegal to offer home cannabis delivery to customers in Los Angeles. The legal system has no provisions for that currently. If you happen to be patronizing a store that offers such a service, my advice would be to desist from such as soon as possible. This is because you are putting yourself at risk of law enforcement agents showing up at your doorstep unannounced. If you have time constraints, I suggest you look for online dispensaries where you can place your orders and pick up at your convenient time.