In Los Angeles, unlicensed shops look exactly like licensed ones. Same glass counters, same menus, often cheaper. Here's what the license changes.
Every product is lab-testedLicensed product passes state testing for pesticides, mold, heavy metals and potency before it can be sold. Unlicensed product is tested by nobody. Pesticide-contaminated vapes are the recurring finding in LA raids.
You know what's in itLicensed packaging carries the lab result, the exact THC/CBD, the batch, and a QR code to the certificate. "Fake carts" are an unlicensed-shop problem.
A medical card means somethingOnly licensed shops can honor your medical recommendation: lower tax, higher limits, and a record if you ever need one.
Someone is accountableA licensed shop has a license number, an owner on file with the state, and a complaint process. An unlicensed shop can close tonight.
How to tell in 10 seconds
Look for the license certificate on the wall and match the number on this site. Licensed shops also scan your ID every time and print a receipt with tax on it. No ID scan, no tax on the receipt, cash only — walk out.
Cities with no licensed shops at all
Glendale, Burbank, La Crescenta, Montrose and many other LA County cities ban cannabis retail entirely. There is no such thing as a licensed dispensary inside those city limits. If one is open, it's illegal.
Report an unlicensed shop
Inside the City of Los Angeles: the Department of Cannabis Regulation takes complaints at cannabis.lacity.gov. Elsewhere in California: the Department of Cannabis Control at cannabis.ca.gov.