Dispensary Spotlight: Los Angeles, CA

August 18, 2023
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The best dispensaries in Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles has long held a reputation for top-quality cannabis, and today’s dispensary options in the City of Angels don’t disappoint. From top-tier budtenders to uniquely crafted terpene profiles, Los Angeles has plenty to offer any cannabis consumer looking for the right product to help reach their wellness goals.

In this article, Jointly will highlight some of the best dispensaries in Los Angeles, California. Of course, this list is not exhaustive, so if your favorite dispensary is missing, give us a shout on social media! And if you’re a little far from these dispensaries, check out check out Jointly to buy legal cannabis products such as CBD, CBN, and more and have them shipped discreetly to your door.

We try to highlight unique elements about these dispensaries, rather than simply what products they carry. For example, at Emjay Dispensaries, fostering community is a top priority, so they consistently organize customer appreciation days and engaging events at their dispensary. Read on to discover some of the best cannabis dispensaries in LA, including what makes each dispensary unique and a brief overview of the products and specialties of each company. 

California Caregivers Alliance

  • 2815 Sunset Boulevard #201, Los Angeles, CA 90026
  • Order in-person or online
  • Delivery available

California Caregivers Alliance (CCA) is one of the oldest operating dispensaries in the state, having opened its doors to medical patients in 2006. 

In that time, CCA has become a reliable spot for medical and recreational cannabis consumers alike, according to the Marijuana Times.

“The shop is well-known and loved by locals who appreciate the unique art and atmosphere, the popular deal wheel, and the educated budtenders who are always enthusiastic to listen and help you find just the right product for your needs,” reports Samantha Gurewitz in an interview with then-budtender Laurie Cardenas.

Throughout the interview, Cardenas also explains what she appreciates about the wellness-centered approach taken by CCA’s budtenders. 

“I love the knowledge behind it, like all of the cannabinoids in weed; there’s more than THC there’s CBD, CBG, CBN, etc.. so it’s cool to know all that. I love how I’m educating people and broadening their horizons on weed,” she says.

“I know a bunch of people who’ve had one bad experience on weed and hate it, and I think my purpose is to really educate them on why they probably felt that way.”

CCA carries a full range of cannabis products, including flower, vape cartridges, concentrates, capsules, edibles, tinctures, and topicals that budtenders can assist consumers with matching to their wellness goals.

Catalyst Cannabis Co.

  • Multiple locations
  • Order in-store or online
  • Delivery available

Led by CEO Elliot Lewis — who has a reputation for, to put it gently, intense support of cannabis law reform — Catalyst Cannabis is an ever-expanding dispensary chain with locations throughout the Los Angeles area. 

The company as a whole aligns with Lewis’ passion for combining cannabis with working to improve the community. Through the efforts of the company’s Catalyst Cares initiative, cannabis can become a “catalyst” for change, so to speak. 

Some of Catalyst Cares’ projects have included legal clinics for those impacted by the War on Drugs and rallies to reduce local cannabis taxes and increase the number of available social equity licenses.

In what might be a reflection of Lewis’ hard-charging energy, Catalyst’s menu features some truly high-octane products for THC aficionados, such as Connected Cannabis’ 35% THC Bad Apple flower and rosin-infused pre-rolls from CLSICS.

Plenty of other options are available for those looking for a more mellow experience as well, such as the 30:1 CBD to THC ratio edible capsules from Papa & Barkley.

Customers can place their orders online or in store, and Catalyst does offer a delivery service.

Fountain of Wellbeing

  • 7231 Hinds Ave, North Hollywood, CA 91605
  • Order in-store or online
  • Online orders must be picked up in-store

Retail dispensary, cultivation, and distribution company Fountain of Wellbeing markets itself as placing an emphasis on producing and selling high-quality cannabis products. 

With its in-house brand of flower, KNBIS, popping up in dispensaries throughout the state, the company may have hit the mark. The Fountain of Wellbeing website reports that the company has “delivered more than half a million jars of flower and a quarter of a million pre-rolls to our partner shops,” and “distributes to over 150 dispensaries in California.”

It probably doesn’t hurt that Fountain of Wellbeing has developed deep ties to the cannabis wholesale space through its packaging, fulfillment, brand management, marketing, and distribution offerings. 

Among Fountain of Wellbeing’s featured brands is Moonlion Cannascience, which focuses on tinctures and wellness-oriented products. 

Potential favorites for consumers looking to incorporate cannabis from the Moonlion product line into a wellness routine include a 15:1 CBD to THC ratio Rick Simpson Oil, which is a great option for folks seeking simple, efficient relief without an overwhelming psychoactive experience.

For anyone looking to utilize only CBD in their pursuit of wellness goals, Fountain of Wellbeing edibles brand The Hello Place offers a line of CBD-infused gummies that also contain one of several non-cannabis supplements such as ginseng or melatonin.

Deli

  • 9535 Artesia Blvd, Bellflower, CA 90706
  • Order in-person or online
  • Delivery available

Forget Disneyland! Instead, make your journey to Main Street, USA at Deli, a dispensary presented by cannabis branding giant Caliva dripping with retro style.

“We wanted to create something that was reminiscent of those early delis you saw from the 1950s,” manager Joshua Estrada tells The Hollywood Reporter

“I kind of equate it to like if we took that deli from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — it’s that neighborhood vibe,” he says. “It’s one of those moments, the neighborhood celebrating those spaces. We wanted to also play on that.”

And, with its Roll Ups line of pre-ground flower available for just $35 per half ounce and strains from the hand-picked Deli Greens flower line available for $85 per ounce, Deli might just live up to its claim of offering “fresh, quality buds at neighborhood-friendly prices.” 

In keeping with the mid-century inspired aesthetics of the brand, Deli also carries some unique products from outside the brand with an old-school look, such as Mary Jones soft drinks, which contain 10 mg of THC and are perfect for smoke-free consumption while relaxing at one of the nearby parks.

The Deli menu isn’t just limited to the brand’s products, however, and the dispensary offers a variety of flower and edibles — including, for any hip hop fans, flower from musician Jay-Z’s Monogram brand.

Residents throughout California can check out Deli’s offerings thanks to Caliva’s robust delivery network. According to the company, Caliva’s current coverage area includes “over 70% of California, from Sacramento to San Diego.”

Gorilla Rx Wellness

  • Multiple locations
  • Order in-person or online
  • Online orders must be picked up in-store

Gorilla Rx Wellness grew from something green, but it wasn’t cannabis.

The dispensary got its start as Gorilla Life Beverage Co., which sold a chlorophyll-based drink intended to boost an array of health goals such as oxygenating the blood and boosting the immune system.

Thanks in part to Los Angeles’ social equity cannabis business licensing initiative, co-founding mother-daughter team Kika Keith and Kika Howze were able to make the pivot to the cannabis industry in 2017 and launch the city’s first Black women-owned retail dispensary.

The transition wasn’t easy, Keith tells The Infatuation. Opening Gorilla Rx’s first location required four years of navigating the red tape around the social equity license program and even a suit against the city of Los Angeles, she says.

Though a self-described “serial entrepreneur,” Keith says her interest in cannabis as a business took a back seat to what she recognized as the “historical importance” of Black, female representation in LA’s cannabis scene. 

“For me, it became more of a civil rights call than just an opportunity for economic growth,” she says. “That’s why we didn't give up right after the first year.”

The dispensary’s health-focused roots are still apparent in its large menu of flower, edibles, concentrates, vape cartridges, and topicals. For example, consumers who prefer edibles but don’t want to add sugar to their diet can select a live resin-infused seltzer, and those who want to be cautious about side effects caused by consuming too much THC on its own can check out a range of CBD options, including Kosher 1:1 THC to CBD ratio caramels. 

Cornerstone Wellness

  • 2551 Colorado Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90041
  • Order in-person or online
  • Delivery available

2022 Emerald Cup “Best Dispensary in Southern California” winner Cornerstone Wellness has built a reputation for putting quality first. 

“Knowledge and wellness reign supreme at our shop where cannabis is viewed as a tool for personal transformation, and for reconnecting back to nature,” the company writes on its website.

“Purchasing from Cornerstone means that you are making a difference and contributing to a vibrant ecosystem of hope and healing,” Cornerstone adds. “It’s this union between individual health & collective stewardship that truly sets us apart.”

In keeping with this spirit, Cornerstone prides itself on providing excellent customer education, whether that means blogging about recent trends in cannabis science or facilitating a new customer’s search for the right product with the help of a budtender.

Customers looking for in-depth advice regarding how cannabis can help achieve their wellness goals can even schedule a 1-on-1 consultation with a Cornerstone staff member.

Cornerstone Wellness carries a variety of flower, vape cartridges, pills and capsules, extracts and topicals. The edible selection is particularly good, and Cornerstone was featured on Eater’s “Southern California’s Best Edibles Dispensaries” list in 2021. 

Highlights on the current edibles menu include THC-infused mochi gummies, microdosing-friendly mints, and raw honey infused with a combination of THC, CBD, and CBN designed to aid sleep.

STIIIZY

  • Multiple locations
  • Order in-store or online
  • Delivery available

Multi-award-winning concentrate brand STIIIZY has been a Californian cannabis staple for years, but the brand’s flagship dispensary in Downtown Los Angeles is far from a monument to a company resting on its laurels.

With a sleek design and a wide range of flower, vape cartridges, concentrates, and edibles in stock, STIIIZY makes it clear that the company is ready to keep rocking the cannabis world.

“It’s more than a store — it's a destination,” the company states on its website. 

“We were one of the first experiential retail locations to open in 2019 that included state-of-the-art visuals,” the company adds. “This means from the minute you step onto our marble-esque epoxy floor, you begin a sensory journey as you shop for STIIIZY cannabis products and merchandise against the backdrop of a gallery-style exhibit!”

The company doesn’t hesitate to stay on top of the latest cannabis science and incorporate those findings into new, wellness-focused products to supplement its standard, THC-heavy menu. 

For example, consumers interested in using cannabis to help them fall and stay asleep might appreciate STIIIZY’s new infused gummies containing the sometimes hard to find cannabinoid CBN in a 2:1 THC to CBN ratio. 

Released in November 2022, these edibles “harness the relaxing powers of cannabinol (CBN) packed in a delicious and mouth watering gummy to deliver a long lasting and peaceful high, helping you unwind and relax into bliss,” STIIIZY says.

Studies have shown CBN to have a generally positive impact on sleep in several lab settings, and anecdotal evidence from users supports these conclusions. The cannabinoid could replace melatonin for consumers who want to avoid the hormone supplement’s potential side effects.

The Artist Tree

  • Multiple locations
  • Order online or in-person
  • Delivery available

For cannabis enthusiasts looking to make the most of the plant’s ability to boost creativity, The Artist Tree’s locations in Beverly Hills, Koreatown, and West Hollywood locations are built around combining cannabis and visual arts.

“Cannabis has been used as a source of creative inspiration by artists for thousands of years. And we all know that cannabis makes concerts, museums and pretty much everything, more fun,” the company writes on its website. 

“We want to enhance your perception of the arts, while you’re spending time in one of our Artist Tree locations or in nearby galleries, performance venues and beyond.”

The Artist Tree’s West Hollywood dispensary location also features a consumption lounge located next door. The lounge is open to dispensary consumers (reservations are available via OpenTable) and frequently hosts events, including a “wake and bake” drag brunch and guided yoga classes. 

Guided yoga classes in a cannabis-friendly setting are a great way for wellness-oriented consumers to try combining cannabis with exercise. In fact, cannabis has a long history of being incorporated into traditional yoga practices in India

Cannabis use is popular among athletes of all levels, and consuming cannabis helps boost the connection between your body and your mind. This can make exercising more enjoyable and increase a person’s motivation to exercise. Some users also report feeling an increased level of focus while exercising, allowing them to make the most of their workout.

The High Note

  • Multiple locations
  • Order online or in-person
  • Online orders must be picked up in-store

While The High Note does have a full menu of “curated top quality cannabis products to fulfill your medical and adult-use needs,” the most memorable feature of this brick-and-wood-lined dispensary’s might be its door. 

To enter The High Note, visitors pass through a door disguised as a bookshelf and find themselves immersed in a space that feels vastly different from your average dispensary. 

“When you step inside, you'll find yourself in a beautifully designed interior modeled after the prohibition era of the 20s and 30s,” writes Travelers Today. “It's a lot like a café, contrary to the dispensaries modeled after pharmacies that have a sterile and dull atmosphere.”

While aesthetics and design might be important parts of the High Note experience, that doesn’t mean the company has neglected its product selection and variety. The High Note carries a wide assortment of flower, pre-rolls, vape cartridges, edibles, concentrates, and CBD products. 

To filter through all those options, consumers making their purchase online can filter by a variety of “Feelings” such as pain free, sleepy, and creative. For those folks looking for CBD products to avoid unwanted psychoactive effects from THC, the helpful “Not High” feeling filter will send them in the right direction. 

The High Note’s company culture also incorporates education and purposeful consumption, and its budtenders might be more suited than most to help consumers find the right product for a specific need thanks to this emphasis.

“Changing attitudes about cannabis includes acknowledging that getting high is a goal for a lot of people. And what that experience ultimately looks like is often miles away from outdated snack-eating stoner stereotypes,” former marketing director Heather Rodman writes

“In reality, the wide-ranging effects possible with cannabis can help people in a lot of ways.”

Josephine & Billie’s

  • 1535 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90062
  • Order in-person or online
  • Online orders must be picked up in-store

Named for jazz stars Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday and featuring speakeasy-style decor “inspired by ‘tea pads’ that existed in Black communities in the 20s and 30s,” Josephine & Billie’s offers a wide range of flower, edibles, vape cartridges, concentrates and topicals “with special emphasis on POC-owned, queer-owned and women-owned brands.”

“The entirety of the retail concept is a conscious effort to cater specifically to women of color, a cannabis-consuming demographic often overlooked,” the Los Angeles Times writes.

“We were very intentional, very mindful of the culture. We’re looking at it through the lens of a Black woman,” co-founder Ebony Andersen tells the Times. “OK, what kind of things do we want to see in a space? What makes us feel comfortable? We don’t get to walk into CVS and then necessarily feel like the space is designed for us, right? But here we do.”

By creating a comfortable space for visitors — especially Black women who come to purchase cannabis products for a variety of health and wellness goals — Andersen and her co-founder Whitney Beatty do an excellent job of creating an environment conducive to a positive mindset. 

As Jointly has previously discussed, consuming cannabis with the right environment and headspace can play an important role in an individual’s experience with the plant.

Andersen and Beatty’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed, with LA Weekly featuring Josephine & Billie’s in its 2021 “Best of LA Cannabis” list and publications from the High Times to SoCal Magazine and Thrillist turning to the founding pair for their thoughts on cannabis business and culture.

Wonderbrett

  • 314 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
  • Order in-person or online
  • Online orders must be picked up in-store

For cannabis enthusiasts looking for highly-curated, top-quality products from an in-house line, Wonderbrett’s La Brea dispensary is the place to be.

“Los Angeles is a place where, if one applies their trade with equal parts passion and skill, they can make a name for themselves as the best at what they do. Kobe. Clayton. Dre. Snoop. And when it comes to cannabis — Wonderbrett,” writes Cannabis Now

Named for founder and cannabis genetics legend Brett Feldman, Wonderbrett is known for its rare, custom-bred strains like Pink Picasso, which is noted for its “rich bouquet of sweet cotton candy, champagne, and cinnamon cookies,” and Grapes of Wrath, known for its “flavors of sweet grape and a savory graham cracker finish.”

Feldmen built his reputation while “providing choice batches of the West Coast favorite OG Kush to supreme clientele such as Eminem and Cypress Hill’s B-Real” before legalization Cannabis Now reports. 

Wonderbrett’s in-house brand is the core of its dispensary menu, and Wonderbrett strains are available as pre-rolls, flower, edibles, and live resin vape cartridges.

Wellness-oriented consumers will appreciate how Wonderbrett’s emphasis on flavor translates into distinct terpene profiles, which can be explored on the dispensary website’s “genetics” page.

The presence of different terpenes can help users predict how they might respond to different strains, and some terpenes can make an energizing or sedating experience more likely. 

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