A Peek Inside a Marijuana Dispensary
California voted to legalize medical marijuana, but dispensaries like L.A.'s Green Goddess are still targeted by the DEA
Christopher Palmeri
Normally one needs a doctor's note to get in. But Nicole—she asked us not to use her last name—the proprietor of the Green Goddess, a marijuana dispensary in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Highland Park, allowed BusinessWeek a look inside.
The Green Goddess is one of some 600 such dispensaries that have opened in California in recent years. California was the first state to legalize marijuana for medicinal use. Voters approved it by 56% in a 1996 referendum. The dispensaries really started popping up after state legislators further codified the law in 2003.
Selling marijuana is still a federal crime, however. In the past month, the Drug Enforcement Administration has launched a major crackdown on the California dispensaries. A dozen establishments were raided and ten people arrested. The DEA also sent letters to the landlords of 150 dispensaries saying their property might be forfeited. Many dispensaries have closed because of the increased scrutiny, and Nicole is concerned that the Green Goddess might be forced to shut down as well.
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