Some California cities have already introduced equity programs designed to give a leg up to communities hit hardest by the drug war. A new bill in Sacramento would expand the effort statewide.

Move over, blue spirulina. Cannabidiol is an emerging trend on Southern California’s stylish self-care scene.

Women-owned businesses make up roughly 13% of licensed retailers and distributors in LA, according to a Leafly analysis. Another 12% are co-owned by women.

The Los Angeles City Council has agreed to scale up the city’s cannabis staff eightfold in order to speed what some critics are calling a slow rollout.

A year after a law took affect allowing people to erase old cannabis convictions, nearly a million people still have criminal records more tarnished than they deserve.

“We have many responsibilities and not a lot of capacity,” the department’s director told Leafly. “We’re going to at least need to quadruple our team.”

Many in LA’s cannabis industry believe the declaration was more symbol than substance, adding they aren’t too concerned with the specter of a federal crackdown.

A total of four shops, all located within a roughly two-mile section of Santa Monica Boulevard, are now open for business.

While much of California is aflutter with legal adult-use cannabis today, businesses in the city of Los Angeles are once again holding their collective breath.

“Most of the burden upfront is going to be on the retailer,” says Nick Kovacevich, CEO of LA-based packaging manufacturer Kush Bottles.