The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a motion to “dismantle” illegal cannabis dispensaries, seeking their removal from Google, Yelp and other online platforms.
Introduced by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, the measure directs various county agencies to prepare written reports within three months on possible steps to stop unauthorized cannabis advertising, including online marketing, in the county’s unincorporated areas.
Approved 5-0 as part of Tuesday’s consent agenda, the measure also directs five county leaders to write and sign a letter asking several popular websites “to voluntarily stop advertising illegal cannabis dispensaries in the county.”
The goal is to encourage operators of Yelp, Google and other platforms to differentiate between licensed and unlicensed cannabis dispensaries, allowing consumers to make informed decisions about where to purchase.
Internet giants such as Alphabet, Google’s parent company, as well as Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, have voluntarily removed ads and other content in the past in response to reports of political misinformation and other serious violations of their terms of use. But recent events in New York show that it’s not always easy to force such platforms to remove content.
In February, Gov. Kathy Hochul called on Google and Yelp to delist illicit cannabis dispensaries as the state began to see the rollout of its nascent recreational cannabis industry, as the Associated Press reported at the time. Initial results were not promising, as many illicit dispensaries remained on the sites, while some of New York’s fledgling legal dispensaries were repeatedly delisted.
Alphabet, Meta and Yelp did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Illegal dispensaries hurt their legitimate counterparts in communities across California by skirting testing and licensing requirements, not paying taxes, and avoiding regulation, allowing them to sell products at bargain basement prices. It can be difficult for customers to know whether stores are honest or not.
“Unfortunately, distinguishing between licensed and unauthorized dispensaries is now more difficult than ever,” the measure states. “When searching for a cannabis dispensary, search engines and GPS platforms such as Google and Apple Maps do not distinguish between licensed and unauthorized businesses, but instead provide results that contain, in most cases, unauthorized dispensaries, thereby legitimizing problematic establishments.”
The motion cites a February report from the Pew Research Center that found there were nearly 1,500 cannabis dispensaries in Los Angeles County; as of 2022, only 384 of them were properly licensed.
Other places have done a better job of keeping illegal dispensaries in check. San Diego County has made cracking down on illegitimate businesses a priority and has effectively rooted them out, The Times reported in June. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County law enforcement team responsible for enforcing dispensary laws only raids two to four dispensaries per month, according to a team member. Many reopen within weeks of the raids.
In Michigan, as The Times reported last month, the marijuana industry is booming and illegal dispensaries are a relative rarity after dedicated enforcement efforts led to the closure of many unlicensed retailers in recent years.
Several members of the public submitted comments ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, including Daria Brooks, who wrote that “all social media advertising campaigns for illegal cannabis shops operating in unincorporated areas must be removed… Advertising on social platforms creates more crime, traffic problems, and unwanted loiterers in our neighborhoods.”
Times staff writer Rebecca Ellis contributed to this report.
