Earlier this month, the Los Angeles City Council approved the “Emblem Program for Authorized Cannabis Stores” to protect cannabis consumers from untested and unregulated products at unlicensed retailers that continue to operate in California’s still-thriving illicit cannabis market.
The program, which required the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office to draft an ordinance to implement it, allows licensed retailers to apply for an emblem that can be displayed on their storefronts to help differentiate legal and illegal dispensaries.
The Los Angeles City Council voted June 29 to approve the ordinance, which will require licensed cannabis business to display a placard to indicate that they are operating legally and in compliance with public health regulations, according to CBS Los Angeles.
The placards are intended to show both the public and law enforcement that the business is operating legally, the news outlet reported. They are expected to be displayed at licensed retailers later this year.
“Unfortunately, unlicensed commercial cannabis activity continues to undermine the legal commercial cannabis industry and threaten the health and safety of Los Angeles residents,” City Councilman Paul Koretz said in a statement, according to CBS Los Angeles. “I have been working on getting this emblem program designed and implemented for the past few years and I’m incredibly grateful for the Department of Cannabis Regulation’s steadfast work.”
Cannabis operators must apply for the new placard and undergo a public health inspection before receiving the emblem, which must then be placed in a location that is visible from the outside of the store, CBS Los Angeles reported.