Buying Cannabis

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Buying Cannabis

A consumer should always purchase medicinal or adult-use cannabis products from a licensed retailer.

To buy medicinal cannabis, you must be 18 years of age or older and have either a current physician's recommendation, a valid county-issued identification card, or be a Primary Caregiver as defined in Health and Safety Code Section 11362.7(d).
To buy adult-use cannabis, you must be at least 21 years of age or older with a valid government-issued ID.

Find A Licensed Dispensary (Storefront) in Long Beach

The City of Long Beach licenses both medicinal and adult-use dispensaries.

All licensed dispensaries in Long Beach display a Licensed Cannabis Store Emblem in the window of the business.

The emblem identifies a dispensary as licensed and authorized to sell medical and/or adult-use cannabis in the City of Long Beach.

Consumers should look for this emblem when deciding to buy cannabis in Long Beach. Consumers should also scan the QR code on an emblem to verify that a dispensary is licensed in Long Beach. #BUYLICENSED

Check out our interactive map!

View a list of all licensed cannabis dispensaries in Long Beach.

The Department of Cannabis Control has also launched a statewide public information program, “Get #weedwise”, encouraging consumers to only purchase cannabis from licensed businesses and warning unlicensed businesses to become licensed.

Currently, all commercial cannabis businesses in California must be licensed by the state and comply with local rules related to commercial cannabis activity in their jurisdiction.

Home Delivery

Long Beach residents may only get cannabis delivered to their private residence from a currently licensed medicinal and/or adult-use cannabis dispensary or delivery service in the State of California.

Home delivery from outside the State of California or from a dispensary or delivery service that does not have a valid Medical or Adult-Use Cannabis business license issued by the State of California is strictly prohibited.

Taxes for Consumers

Purchasers of cannabis and cannabis products are required to pay the following taxes when purchasing cannabis or cannabis products:

15% excise tax charged by the State of California
10.25% local sales tax for the City of Long Beach

Cannabis retailers are also required to pay a business tax of 6% of all sales at the business under their medical license and 8% of all sales at the business under their adult-use license. Pursuant to the municipal code, sales include cannabis goods and non-cannabis goods (such as merchandise, accessories, etc.). The business can choose to pass this tax onto the consumer and itemize it on the receipt or pay this without passing it on to the consumer.

Information on how retailers should be charging the local government business taxes, sales taxes, and excise cannabis taxes can be found at the Department of Tax and Fee Administration's Tax Guide for Cannabis Businesses.

Reasons to #BUYLICENSED in Long Beach

Consumers face significant health and safety risks when purchasing cannabis from unlicensed and illegal cannabis stores in Long Beach. Illegal cannabis stores threaten the health, safety, and welfare of residents, neighborhoods, and businesses by selling products that are grown, manufactured, prepared, and processed outside of the regulated cannabis marketplace.

Risks of Buying From Illegal Cannabis Stores

	Cannabis products do not undergo required testing and are not monitored for the presence of contaminants. Illegal cannabis stores may sell products that are contaminated by mold, fungus, pesticides, human byproducts, chemicals, and other adulterants that may cause injury or illness if consumed.
	Cannabis products may not comply with strict packaging and labeling requirements and are more likely to be mislabeled, unlabeled or misbranded and may be packaged in a way that is attractive to children.
	Illegal cannabis stores do not comply with local zoning and facility permit requirements designed to protect health and safety, including minimum buffer distances from schools, parks, beaches and day care centers.
	Illegal cannabis stores do not undergo facility inspections and do not comply with building, fire and health code standards, and other important safety regulations.
	Owners of illegal cannabis stores do not undergo criminal background checks.
	Illegal cannabis stores do not pay local taxes to help support general city services.