Los Angeles Sues Unlicensed Cannabis Dispensary

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]T[/dropcap]he city of Los Angeles is suing an unlicensed South L.A. cannabis dispensary for operating illegally and for selling cannabis containing a dangerous pesticide.

Cannabis sold at Kush Club 20 contained paclobutrazol, a fungicide used to make golf turf denser, and is classified as a Type II toxic chemical by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The lawsuit is the first to be brought against an unlicensed dispensary for selling cannabis containing pesticides. “We care if the romaine lettuce we’re eating is contaminated. We care about whether we can safely eat at Chipotle. Marijuana buyers should exercise the same degree of caution. And his means only buying from licensed locations,” said Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer.

In addition to shutting down the dispensary, the lawsuit seeks a civil penalty of $20,000 for each day illegal activity occurred at the property. Feuer said the business was open for more than a year, which means the city could seek up to $7.5 million. The daily civil penalty hasn’t been tested, but city officials hope the financial burden the suit could bring will prevent others from opening illegal dispensaries. “We are sharpening our tools and we’re laying the basis to deliver what the voters expect from us … a legal regulated market with appropriate built-in controls,” City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson said.

More than 180 dispensaries have city approval to sell cannabis in L.A., but illegal dispensaries have opened around the city as an option for cannabis consumers to purchase cannabis and avoid the taxes set by the state. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has already announced a crackdown on illegal cannabis dispensaries in the city. In the last year, the city attorney’s office has filed 217 criminal cases involving illegal dispensaries and at least 113 storefronts have been shut down.