Los Angeles Patients and Caregivers Group and Zen Healing Collective are the two current West Hollywood cannabis dispensaries that fell just short of getting the scores necessary to qualify for one of the city’s eight recreational cannabis licenses.
A list of those who applied along with their scores shows that L.A. Patients and Caregivers Group (LAPCG), which is at 7213 Santa Monica Blvd., ranked No. 9 and Zen Healing Collective, which operates from 8464 Santa Monica Blvd., ranked No. 10 among 88 applicants. MedMen, another current dispensary that is located at 8208 Santa Monica Blvd., ranked No. 13. Alternative Herbal Health Services at 7828 Santa Monica Blvd. ranked No. 17.
The current license holders will be able to continue selling medical cannabis, which requires buyers to present a doctor’s prescription. They were granted a temporary recreational sales license during the application process. Those licenses will expire in July.
The West Hollywood City Council was informed in December that none of the current medical cannabis dispensaries had qualified for a recreational cannabis sales license, however the names of the winners and the ranking of the existing cannabis businesses was not revealed.
Several City Council members argued that the city should expand the number of licenses from eight to 10 to accommodate the two local businesses that fell just short of qualifying. Those who qualified were determined by an independent group appointed by the city manager whose five members evaluated the more than 300 applications for eight licenses in each of five categories. The evaluation was based on a list of criteria approved by the Council.
City Councilmember Lauren Meister objected to increasing the number of licenses solely because some local applicants didn’t qualify,
While the City Council agreed last year to limit the number of licenses to eight in each category, some council members argued at the December meeting that the city should find a way to accommodate the existing local cannabis businesses that didn’t rank high enough to qualify for a license. However, Meister argued that “It’s not a fair practice if you change the rules because you don’t like the outcome.”
Mayor John Duran noted that with the current temporary recreational cannabis sales licenses expiring on March 28, it is likely the city would have no recreational cannabis retailers until those who qualified completed the complex process of finding a location and obtaining a business license. The Council agreed in December to reconsider adding more licenses this year. Since then the state Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) has extended the temporary recreational cannabis sales license for LAPCG to July 16 and the for the other three WeHo cannabis businesses until July 25.
Local cannabis business AHHS filed applications for a license in each of two other categories: operating a cannabis lounge for smoking and vaping and operating a local cannabis delivery business. However it failed to qualify for either, ranking No. 20 among the 75 applicants a smoking and vaping cannabis lounge license and No. 13 out of 60 applicants for the delivery license.
LAPCG qualified for a license for operating an edible cannabis lounge, ranking No. 4 out of 21 applicants in that category. However it failed in its application for a cannabis delivery license, ranking No. 11 out of 60 applicants.
Zen Healing Collective did qualify for a delivery license. However it was unsuccessful in its application for a local smoking and vaping lounge license, ranking 11 out of 75 applicants.
MedMen failed to qualify for one of eight licenses for a smoking and vaping lounge, however it came close with a ranking No. 9 of 75 applicants.
EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story stated that the expiration date for temporary recreational cannabis sales licenses for West Hollywood stores was March 28. The state Bureau of Cannabis Control has extended that date into July, as noted in the story above. The story also erred is stating that AHHS filed for a cannabis edible license license. The story has been updated to clarify who applied for what.
As I understand it, the lapcg is one of the few dispensaries that participate in a program through Being Alive, that discounts prices for those with low income and disabilities, with an RX from their REAL Dr. I think they should receive some consideration for that. Not all participate, but they do, and should have the ability to make up the difference by being granted a recreational license.
I agree with Horatio…WeHo has 8 gazillion bars, so why are we limiting dispensaries to just 8?
Another question is why does Meister always have to be so contrary? It seems she is always the one that is opposed to things the others agree on.
The resurgent “reefer madness” or new war on drugs promoted by the Trump Administration serves the same interests of the original class of people who pushed to criminalize Cannabis in the first place. In the 1920’s tensions started to rise in the South between the racist former slave holder plantation owners and the Mexican Immigrants (including many U.S. Citizen Mexican Americans) that they sought to exploit in light of Civil Rights gains made by African Americans. From 1929 on when the Great Depression set in do to failed conservative economic policy, attention was diverted to scapegoating Mexican Immigrants by the… Read more »
It’s really unfortunate that several long running dispensaries already located in West Hollywood were not approved for licenses. I’ve been a resident of Weho for 6 years and have frequented LAPCG, AHHS, and Zen during that time and never had any issues with the staff, location, or my safety. It seems like the city is content with losing out on all the revenue these dispensaries bring after March 28th because there are no other options. The dispensaries which were approved aren’t up and running yet. This is a disgrace and typical of poor city leadership and management and their ability… Read more »
Don’t be so defeatist…..you don’t have to accept or live with the scooters.
Weho may have “banned” the scooters, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have to live with them. Weho didn’t limit the number of bars or stores that sell alcohol to eight. Weho also didn’t limit the number of places that can sell tobacco products to eight. Alcohol and tobacco are addictive and yet we don’t set limits on the number of places that can sell them. I’m not suggesting we should and understand that would be absurd. I’m just wondering why something grown from the earth and has healing properties is going to be denied to people over petty politics… Read more »
The simplest thing has turned into a back pedal with consolation prizes.
Game over!…..Eight licenses is good enough. The sky won’t fall.