Los Angeles, California and the Department of Cannabis Regulation are being sued over plans to issue stand-alone cannabis delivery licenses exclusively to social-equity applicants until 2025, the Associated Press reports. The lawsuit does not seek to limit such applicants to obtain licenses but wants all businesses the equal opportunity to apply. The lawsuit was filed by cannabis firm Ganja Goddess, and trade groups Southern California Coalition and the California Cannabis Couriers Association. Ganja Goddess CEO Zachary Pitts described the regulations – which were revised in July – as a “deat ..read more

The city of Los Angeles, California is being sued by the Social Equity and Workers Assn. over its cannabis licensing process, the Los Angeles Times reports. The organization argues that the city’s application process in September was “flawed” and unfairly implemented and the lawsuit seeks to force the city to vet every single application turned in or roll out a new process that allows “an equal, fair and transparent opportunity.” In September, Los Angeles opened up another 100 cannabis licenses on a first-come, first-serve process but it was later discovered that some started their applicatio ..read more

High Times has signed a deal with dispensary licensees in Los Angeles and Las Vegas with plans to open two flagship retail locations, according to an IPO-Edge report. The cannabis media firm anticipates the shops will provide a cross-marketing opportunity for High Times and its Cannabis Cup brand and intends to sell local strains that have won Cannabis Cup awards. Stormy Simon, who took over as CEO of High Times earlier this month, told IPO-Edge that the Cannabis Cup winners are “heroes” and the company’s dispensaries would “allow them to be recognized.” After taking over as CEO, Simon sugges ..read more

The city of Los Angeles, California is suing Kush Club 20, an unlicensed cannabis dispensary, claiming that it was selling products tainted with paclobutrazol – a fungicide classified as a Type II toxic chemical by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Los Angeles Times reports. The civil lawsuit is the first in the state to pit a city government against an unlicensed cannabis dispensary. The city is seeking $20,000 per day the shop was illegally selling to customers; officials say Kush Club 20 was operating for about a year meaning the city could seek up to $7.5 million. City Attorne ..read more

The City Attorney of Los Angeles has cracked down on 105 unlicensed cannabis businesses since May, charging over 500 people with misdemeanors, reports KTLA Los Angeles. City officials say that cracking down on unlicensed cannabis businesses those that play by the system’s rules. Los Angeles has passed ordinances requiring not just a California state cannabis license, but also a city license. Anyone charged with violating the city’s cannabis industry ordinances may be penalized with up to six months and jail and $1,000 in fines. “Los Angeles voters wanted common-sense rules to regulate recrea ..read more

The Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) has selected 100 social equity applicants for an opportunity to apply for retail cannabis licenses following a lottery last week, Marijuana Business Daily reports. The city’s social equity application process was contested in a lawsuit earlier this month by a Michigan cannabis entrepreneur but a U.S. district judge ultimately ruled for the lottery process to proceed. The successful applicants were named during Los Angeles’ Phase 3 Retail Round 2 Lottery. During a livestream of the lottery, DCR said it had contracted a third-party global ..read more

Los Angeles, CA — Zipps (www.zipps.com), an on-demand cannabis delivery service, launched today in LA. Zipps delivers your favorite cannabis brands fast — really fast. Their main focus is speed, simplicity, and savings. Customers save the most when they buy cannabis in bulk, offering the stickiest discounts in the fastest-growing market. The biggest difference between Zipps and the other guys is their bulk boxes. On their site, customers have the ability to mix and match their favorite strains to fill a half or full-ounce bulk box at one flat rate. Half-ounce boxes start at $99 (pick 4 strain ..read more

A Los Angeles, California cannabis dispensary was raided by law enforcement this week over a $66,000 fee discrepancy with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA), according to a High Times report. Iván Vanorwick, the founder of Jungle Boys, told High Times that the company had already received a hearing for the sum when law enforcement raided them on March 1. Vanorwick explained that the raid included undercover police, the L.A. Police Department, sheriffs, and the Highway Patrol and the officers started “taking all the money inside the building” including cash from th ..read more

The City of Los Angeles, California has granted its first licenses under the state’s new cannabis regime, according to an LA Weekly report. Regulators granted Mother Nature’s Remedy in Woodland Hills a medical cannabis permit and WHTC in Studio City an adult-use license. David Slocum, owner of Mother Nature’s, said he chose not to apply for a recreational license because he wanted to see how the new sector shaped up; he’s operated his medical dispensary for 12 years. “Not that I don’t want to apply for adult, but I don’t want to apply and be the first black man arrested for it. Not state and ..read more

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to introduce an ordinance that would implement $30,000 daily fines for illegal cannabis operations in unincorporated areas of the county, CBSLA reports. The vote comes as several California municipalities and state lawmakers are seeking changes to cannabis laws due, in part, to the thriving unregulated market. The supervisors on Tuesday did not approve the ordinance, which requires another vote but that is seen as “largely an administrative matter,” the report says. Supervisor Kathryn Barger, one of the co-sponsors, told the Board t ..read more