Greetings!
This month marks the 7th anniversary of the Department of Cannabis Regulation and, today, I am happy to announce the launch of a new public information campaign that promotes Legal, Local Cannabis. This campaign seeks to encourage cannabis consumers to buy from City of Los Angeles licensed, neighborhood cannabis stores — lifting these small businesses and their communities up.
Billboards, posters and other outdoor advertising will tout the importance of buying at licensed stores that are “from the neighborhood, for the neighborhood” and emphasize the importance of protecting underage youth from unlawful cannabis use. In addition, as part of this marketing effort, DCR is unveiling a new, more user-friendly map to make finding an L.A. City-licensed cannabis retailer easier.
I am excited for you to see these ads across the City. This campaign marks an important step in the 7-year trajectory of the Department. DCR has built a regulatory agency that strives for equity, works to transition the illegal cannabis market into a legal one, while prioritizing community prosperity, health and safety. Today, there are 1,413 legal cannabis business licenses issued with Temporary Approval with 35% of them owned by social equity entrepreneurs.
Continue reading to learn more about an upcoming DCR Compliance and Enforcement webinar for licensees, the next Q&A virtual lunch on July 24 with Asst. Exec Director Jason Killeen, and DCR milestones.
Finally, a bit more good news, DCR's Social Equity Program has received $3 million in funds from Cannabis Equity Grants Program for Local Jurisdictions from the State of California for the 2024-2025. More on this soon.
Sincerely,
Michelle Garakian
Executive Director
Coming to you from the neighborhood, DCR launches its first ever public information campaign to uplift legal and local City of Los Angeles cannabis businesses. There are few important reasons why: small legal cannabis businesses lift communities by hiring locally, creating economic opportunities, generating tax dollars that benefit the City, and protecting community health and safety. The illegal cannabis market challenges the success of these small, local cannabis businesses, many of which are owned by social equity entrepreneurs. While the City of Los Angeles plays crucial roles in combating illegal operations, consumers do, too.
This campaign is a call to action to consumers to shop legally as a means to support small business owners in their local communities. The campaign includes billboards, posters, videos, and a social media campaign throughout the City, with a focus on Council Districts 8 and 14 – two areas where data show significant numbers of illicit cannabis shops.
Advertisements feature taglines such as these:
| 
|
| 
|
This public information campaign also promotes a revamped and more consumer friendly map of legal retail cannabis businesses on the DCR website. Punch in your zip code and you’ll get information on licensed cannabis retail stores nearest you with special notes on which stores are owned by social equity individuals.
Plus, DCR has enlisted some of its cannabis business entrepreneurs to help spread the word. Check out this video with some of L.A.’s cannabis business entrepreneurs.
Help us spread the word! Share this link to our DCR’s new map.
The time has come for Compliance Inspections! Join DCR for an online webinar detailing DCR’s Compliance inspection process.
This webinar will review:
- How your inspection will be scheduled
- An overview of what to expect on your inspection day
- An introduction to and overview of the new Self-Assessment Checklist and the Rules and Regulations pertaining to operational requirements
- What happens after you pass
- What happens if you need to correct deficiencies
- Definitions of violation types
DCR has created this Self-Assessment Checklist to prepare you before a compliance inspection. DCR strongly recommends licensees use this self-assessment checklist to identify and rectify any deficiencies prior to an inspection. This checklist is provided as a courtesy and any self assessment is optional. You are not required to complete the checklist and it does not need to be returned to DCR; it is merely for your information and preparation.
To help guide applicants through the process, you are invited to join the Compliance Inspection 101 webinar from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, from. To RSVP click here and to join the webinar, click here.
DCR is rescheduling its monthly Q&A Virtual Lunch session to noon, July 24, 2024, due to a scheduling conflict. Please join Assistant Executive Director Jason Killeen to get answers to your questions.
You can RSVP here and join here.
DCR has been getting out and about. Last month, DCR set up shop at the Youth Expo sponsored by the City of Los Angeles’ Youth Development Department on June 22, 2024, and at Ciclavia in South Los Angeles on June 23, 2024.
At the Youth Expo, DCR provided young people in high school and college along with parents information on the effects of cannabis on a young developing person, tips on choosing alternative healthy activities, and advice to parents on discussing cannabis use with their children. About 700 young people attended the event.
At Ciclavia, DCR provided information to attendees about DCR programs and services, how to report suspected illegal cannabis business activity and answer general questions about legal personal use.
DCR Milestones
We’re excited to see what year 8 will bring.
Happy birthday, DCR! 🎂🎉
DCR wants to let the public know about the grand opening of your retail store. Tell DCR about it and it’ll be shared in our upcoming publications. Email us at cannabisnews@lacity.org
Don’t forget to follow us on social media:
|
|
|
