The Leafly Buyer's Guide to Southern California Cannabis Products

With California’s adult-use legalization system coming fully online, Leafly asked me to undertake a detailed survey of the best products available at licensed dispensaries and make suggestions in four key categories. This was a huge task given that the state ranks as the world’s ninth largest economy, and is by far the largest legal cannabis market on Earth. Southern California especially has become a hotbed of branding, marketing and innovation, with Los Angeles rapidly emerging as the capital city of the cannabis industry.

I relied on my 15 years of experience as a dedicated cannabis reporter—including stints as Head of Content at High Times and a columnist/frequent contributor at VICE—to identify top contenders among SoCal’s finest flowers, concentrates, topicals, and edibles. Then I reached out to a few leading experts in each field to widen my knowledge base and get hip to new and emerging trends. Still, like any such endeavor, this is a subjective list, and some amazing products didn’t make the cut simply because they’re available in such limited supply.

Did I miss something amazing? Undoubtedly. So please feel free to let me know in the comments or on Twitter (@pot_handbook).

Lead image courtesy of lucky-photographer/iStock

brands California leafly buyer's guide products southern california

David Bienenstock

Veteran cannabis journalist David Bienenstock is the author of "How to Smoke Pot (Properly): A Highbrow Guide to Getting High" (2016 - Penguin/Random House), and the co-host and co-creator of the podcast "Great Moments in Weed History with Abdullah and Bean." Follow him on Twitter @pot_handbook.

View David Bienenstock's articles