Is cannabis legal in Beverly Hills?

Cannabis possession is legal in Beverly Hills under California state law, but the city maintains a comprehensive ban on all cannabis businesses — no dispensaries, no delivery services, no cultivation, and no consumption lounges. Residents must travel to neighboring LA or WeHo to purchase from licensed shops.

How many LA County cities allow cannabis dispensaries?

Only 6 of 88 cities in LA County allow retail cannabis sales. The remaining 82 cities have opted out under Proposition 64, which gave local jurisdictions the right to ban cannabis businesses. LA city and West Hollywood are the primary legal retail hubs for the entire metro area.

Why are unlicensed cannabis shops concentrated in minority neighborhoods?

Research shows unlicensed shops concentrate in Black and Latino neighborhoods because wealthy, predominantly white neighborhoods have the political power to ban all cannabis businesses. When legal cannabis is excluded, unlicensed operators fill the demand gap in communities with less political power to oppose them.

Does Santa Monica allow cannabis dispensaries?

Yes, as of September 2025. Santa Monica approved recreational cannabis sales with applications opening in January 2026. This reversal by an affluent coastal city signals a potential shift as more cities recognize the tax revenue they forfeit by banning legal cannabis.

LA Cannabis Politics — Who Bans, Who Embraces

Last verified: March 2026

Cannabis is legal in California. But in Los Angeles County, the politics of where cannabis can exist are deeply entangled with race, wealth, and political power. The result: a geographic landscape where legal dispensaries are concentrated in a few progressive or lower-income areas while the vast majority of cities maintain total bans — pushing consumption and commerce underground in the communities that can least afford it.

82/88

Cities Prohibit Retail

315+

LA City Dispensaries

Beverly Hills Shops

WeHo Lounges

The Great Opt-Out

82 of 88 cities in Los Angeles County prohibit retail cannabis sales. Proposition 64 gave every city and county the right to ban cannabis businesses within their borders, and the overwhelming majority chose to do so. The result:

LA city (population ~4 million) has 315+ dispensaries
West Hollywood (population ~36,000) has dispensaries AND consumption lounges
The remaining 82 cities (combined population of millions) have zero licensed retail

This concentration means LA city and WeHo bear the full weight of cannabis regulation, enforcement, and community impact for the entire metro area. Residents of ban cities drive to LA to buy cannabis, then consume it back home in jurisdictions that opted out of the tax revenue.

The Wealthy Bans

Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills maintains a comprehensive ban on all cannabis businesses — no dispensaries, no delivery, no cultivation, no manufacturing, no consumption lounges. The city is entirely surrounded by LA, where cannabis is legal. The ban means Beverly Hills residents can drive 10 minutes in any direction to buy cannabis but the city collects zero tax revenue from the transaction.

Burbank

Despite being home to major entertainment studios (Disney, Warner Bros., NBC Universal), Burbank prohibits retail cannabis. The city where much of America's popular culture is produced has opted out of the legal cannabis market.

Glendale

Glendale maintains a full ban on cannabis retail. With a population of approximately 200,000, it is one of the largest cities in the region to completely exclude legal cannabis sales.

The Racial Geography

Research has documented a troubling pattern in LA's cannabis geography:

Unlicensed cannabis shops concentrate in Black and Latino neighborhoods — the same communities targeted by drug enforcement during prohibition
Areas with unlicensed shops only (no licensed alternatives) correlate with higher minority populations
Wealthy, predominantly white neighborhoods either ban cannabis entirely or host only upscale licensed dispensaries

The geographic distribution of licensed and unlicensed cannabis businesses in Los Angeles is reproducing the social inequities that legalization was supposed to fix.
Cannabis Equity Research, UCLA

The mechanism is straightforward: wealthy neighborhoods have the political power to ban dispensaries. When dispensaries are banned, they don't disappear — they go underground. And unlicensed shops, operating without regulation, safety testing, or tax obligations, cluster in the neighborhoods with the least political power to exclude them.

Where Cannabis Thrives

West Hollywood: The Model

WeHo has embraced cannabis more fully than any city in America. The tiny independent city (1.9 square miles) has:

7+ consumption lounges (the most in any US city)
Multiple dispensaries along Santa Monica Boulevard
Plans for "Emerald Village" cannabis tourism district
Active support from city government for cannabis businesses

WeHo's success demonstrates what happens when a city embraces rather than resists legal cannabis. The tax revenue stays local, the businesses are regulated, and consumption happens in controlled environments rather than on sidewalks.

Fairfax-Melrose

The Fairfax-Melrose corridor has absorbed cannabis into its streetwear and sneaker culture. Dispensaries like Sherbinskis (Sunset Sherbet fame), The Pottery (permanent 40% discount), and boutique shops sit alongside Supreme, vintage stores, and the flea market. Cannabis here is not separate from the neighborhood — it is part of the cultural fabric.

South LA

South LA represents the equity story. Social equity dispensaries like Gorilla Rx (Kika Keith, first Black woman-owned dispensary), Josephine & Billie's (first dispensary by and for women of color), and Verde+ are working to make legal cannabis a vehicle for community economic development in neighborhoods that were devastated by the War on Drugs. See our Social Equity page for more.

Studio City / The Valley

The San Fernando Valley has a legacy cannabis culture predating legalization. Shops like Buds & Roses (High Times Cup winners, Kyle Kushman's Veganics) and The Higher Path have operated for years. The Valley's cannabis scene is less flashy than DTLA or WeHo but deeply rooted in the community.

Santa Monica: The Turning Tide

Santa Monica approved recreational cannabis sales in September 2025, with applications opening in January 2026. This is significant because Santa Monica is an affluent coastal city that had previously banned retail cannabis. Its reversal suggests the tide may be turning as cities recognize the tax revenue they're forfeiting and the futility of banning a legal product.

What This Means for Visitors

Geography Matters

If you're staying in Beverly Hills, Burbank, Glendale, or most other LA County cities, there are no dispensaries in your city. You'll need to go to LA city proper, West Hollywood, or use delivery services (which may or may not deliver to ban cities depending on their specific ordinances). Always check before assuming you can buy locally.

The Bigger Picture

LA's neighborhood cannabis politics reveal a fundamental tension in American drug policy reform. Legalization was supposed to end the racial disparities of the War on Drugs. Instead, through the mechanism of local opt-outs:

Wealthy white communities insulate themselves from cannabis businesses
Lower-income communities of color absorb both the licensed and unlicensed markets
The illicit market fills the gaps created by bans, with all the associated health and safety risks
Social equity programs try to repair the damage but operate within a system that continues to create it

This is not unique to LA — it's a pattern across legal states. But in LA, the scale, the racial demographics, and the contrast between Beverly Hills and South LA make it impossible to ignore.

Neighborhood Politics of Cannabis in LA