Has LA's new marijuana dispensary ban killed your buzz? Don't worry, we have your need for weed covered.
Because Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected to sign the storefront ban, the total closure of roughly 900 pot shops across LA seems imminent. However, the city council is still discussing Councilman Paul Koretz's proposal to keep 180 shops open with strict regulations, and NPR points out there doesn't seem to be any teeth in the new law to deal with pot shops that to refuse to close.
LA will be waiting with bated breath for its elected officials to sort it out -- but just in case, we've prepared a guide for how to survive a potential aPOTcalypse.
First, since there are medical marijuana patients who are legitimately too sick to grow their weed (and the rest of you are too busy or lazy), we've charted a map of the dispensaries (below) in LA that are exempt from the ban. These dispensaries are all in West Hollywood, where the ban does not apply because it is independent from the City of LA.
And while pot shops may be few and far between in other incorporated cities (Santa Monica, Culver City, Glendale, Pasadena and more), it seems likely that some storefronts will start popping up in these locations once the ban goes into effect.
In the meantime, West Hollywood's pot shops are sure to be as hot as speakeasies were during prohibition. In fact, there's some fear that if they become too large or the lines get too long, the feds will shut them down, as they're threatening to do in Oakland to the nation's largest dispensary.
However, if driving across town ruins your high, become your own dealer by learning to grow on your own. It is still legal in California for patients and caregivers in groups of three or less to grow marijuana at home. To learn, check out the helpful how-to video above, which includes what kind of seeds to buy, what equipment you'll need for indoor versus outdoor growing, how much light and water your plants will need, when to harvest them and more.
Also, check out national advocacy group Americans for Safe Access' growing tips and helpful links.
A third option is to smoke a spliff, sit back and do nothing. Americans for Safe Access said Wednesday that it plans to collect the more than the 27,000 voter signatures needed to put a referendum to reverse the ban on the ballot.
It will need to collect the signatures by Sept. 21 to make it to the March 5 ballot, according to LA Weekly. But it remains to be seen if the group will successfully be able to delay the ban (which is expected to go into effect in Sept.) until the March ballot.
Another option if the ban does go into effect is the various delivery services that don't have storefronts; check out Weed Maps to find one that delivers to your area.
There you have it: everything you need to be prepared for a potential Ganjageddon. But if seeing and smelling your ganja before buying it is of the essence, check out these smokin' West Hollywood spots:
UPDATE: Dan Mick, spokesperson for the City of West Hollywood, confirmed to HuffPost that the following first four locations will remain open. The fifth store, Sunset Super Shop, is currently in dispute with the City so its future is unknown.
LA Dispensaries That Will Stay Open Post-Ban
View LA Marijuana Dispensaries That Will Remain Open in a larger map