As of right now, shops are able to sell marijuana harvested without the regulatory controls that eventually will require extensive testing for safety and potency. Labs will check for compounds like cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and test for things like mold, pesticide residue and bacteria.

Major CA Cities Now Selling Marijuana

A gradual rollout of California’s new marijuana regulations initially limited the number of shops that could sell adult use cannabis products on Monday to a handful of cities, including Oakland, Berkeley, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Palm Springs, and San Diego. While less than 100 shops licensed by the state were operating on Monday, more are expected to join the market in the coming days and weeks.

California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control has so far issued more than 300 licenses statewide for marijuana distributors, retailers, and cultivators, and intends to continue to approve licenses. However, to sell adult use marijuana commercially, businesses must have local approval and a state license.

Major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco were late establishing local regulations but are expected to issue their retail licenses soon.

Other larger municipalities, such as Fresno, Riverside, Anaheim, Bakersfield, and all of surrounding Kern County, have prohibited marijuana retail sales. Long Beach has in place a temporary ban.

Where Else is Marijuana Legal?

While Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012, legalization in the nation’s most populous state is expected to have ripple effects on policy changes throughout the U.S.

Today, eight states and Washington D.C. have adopted similar recreational marijuana laws. Retail sales are scheduled to begin in Massachusetts in July. Twenty-nine states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes.

You can learn more about marijuana laws in the U.S. by visiting our education page, or keep up with the ever-developing cannabis industry through our news page.