Cannabis in Los Angeles: lounges, dispensaries & shops

Consuming in Los Angeles: what is actually allowed

Possession

28.5 grams (1 oz) of non-concentrated cannabis and 8 grams of concentrated cannabis (including cannabis in edible/concentrate form). Set by Prop 64, Health & Safety Code 11362.1.

In public

Illegal to consume cannabis in any public place (HSC 11362.3). Also illegal to smoke or vape cannabis anywhere tobacco smoking is prohibited, within 1,000 feet of a school, day care, or youth center while children are present, or in/on a moving vehicle (driver or passenger). Penalty for public consumption or smoking where tobacco is banned is an infraction with a fine up to $100; smoking near a school/day care/youth center while children are present is a fine up to $250. Open containers of cannabis in a vehicle are also prohibited. Licensed consumption lounges and licensed temporary cannabis events are the legal exceptions.

On-site consumption

Yes — explicitly legal AND many venues are open and operating, but it is a local-option system. California has permitted on-site consumption at licensed retailers/microbusinesses since MAUCRSA (Business & Professions Code 26200(g)), provided the local city or county expressly authorizes it. AB 1775 (Haney), signed Sept. 30, 2024 and effective Jan. 1, 2025, significantly expanded this by allowing lounges — where the local jurisdiction opts in — to prepare and sell non-cannabis-infused food and non-alcoholic beverages and to sell tickets to live musical or other performances, creating true 'Amsterdam-style' cannabis cafes. Statewide baseline conditions: 21+ only in the consumption area, consumption not visible from any public place, no alcohol or tobacco sales on the premises, and sales limited to an amount reasonable for on-site consumption. There is no separate state 'lounge license' — operators hold a Type 10 retail or Type 12 microbusiness license with a local on-site consumption permit. Dozens of lounges operate. Cities with operating lounges include West Hollywood, San Francisco, Oakland, Emeryville, Santa Cruz, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Coachella, Hawthorne, National City, Port Hueneme, Ojai, Lompoc, South Lake Tahoe, Eureka, Ukiah, and Needles. Named venues: Barbary Coast, Moe Greens, Mission Cannabis Club and Union Station (San Francisco); NUG Oakland and Root'd in the 510 (Oakland); The Woods, OG Cannabis Cafe and The Artist Tree (West Hollywood); Off The Charts (Palm Springs). Important caveat: most large California cities — including most of the City of Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose — have NOT authorized on-site consumption, so availability is highly local. Palm Springs adopted an ordinance implementing full AB 1775 activities on Dec. 11, 2025, and Sacramento and Santa Cruz County have been moving toward approval.

Full California cannabis laws