--- title: Los Angeles Prioritizes the Shuttering of Unlicensed Cannabis Businesses description: The city of Los Angeles wants to shutter all unlicensed cannabis businesses. Unlicensed cannabis businesses are not paying taxes or following cannabis regulations. This raises public safety concerns. In July of this year, the City Council directed the city’s agencies to draft a report on enforcement operations including cannabis enforcement data and cost of operations. […] image: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/66525ec138843cc1ccb1c325/68c301ebaa36be33aa2af8f7_1a3f16114a452999cc4d7d6b36ae1602_Obedio%20march%20of%20progress.png --- [Skip to content](https://hs.getobedio.com/blog/2018/12/13/2018-12-13-los-angeles-to-deploy-creative-strategies-to-shut-down-illegal-cannabis-businesses#main-content) [![Obedio logo with black text and an orange graphic composed of four circles and a diagonal arrow pointing up and right.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/66525ec138843cc1ccb1c325/66529844eddaa630d6da1b42_obedio%20gold%20for%20white%20background.png)](https://getobedio.com) [Team](https://www.getobedio.com/team) [Pricing](https://www.getobedio.com/pricing) [Contact](https://www.getobedio.com/demo) [Blog](https://www.getobedio.com/blog) [Login](https://obed.io/v4/login) California # Los Angeles Prioritizes the Shuttering of Unlicensed Cannabis Businesses ![Susan Ameel](https://7528315.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528315/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-cms-elevate-theme_hubspot/elevate/images/avatar-placeholder.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=avatar-placeholder.jpg) Susan Ameel December 13, 2018 The city of Los Angeles wants to shutter all unlicensed cannabis businesses. Unlicensed cannabis businesses are not paying taxes or following cannabis regulations. This raises public safety concerns. In July of this year, the City Council directed the city’s agencies to draft a report on enforcement operations including cannabis enforcement data and cost of operations. In the [report](http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2018/18-1800-S2_rpt_CLA_11-09-2018.pdf)dated November 9, 2018, the Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) indicated that, over the past year, it executed 143 search warrants on unlicensed businesses, and made 435 arrests. The LAPD confiscated 67 firearms, over $600,000 in money and 34,852 pounds of cannabis. The arrests did little to stop the reopening of the unlicensed businesses. The LAPD indicated that additional enforcement efforts are needed as the misdemeanor charges for most violations is not adequate. Los Angeles is defining the jurisdictional responsibility for enforcing cannabis licensing requirements. The LAPD is responsible for significant criminal activity or complaints. The Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) is responsible for developing enforcement strategies that will close unlicensed cannabis businesses. At a [November 29, 2018 meeting](https://cannabis.lacity.org/sites/g/files/wph1081/f/CRC%20Special%20Meeting%20Agenda%2011.29.18.pdf), the Cannabis Regulation Commission voted to recommend that the Los Angeles adopt regulations to permit city officials to: - Cut off utility and power services to illegal cannabis businesses; - Bring enforcement actions against employees of unlicensed cannabis businesses; - Barricade, lock, or fence unlicensed businesses that fail to comply with a cease and desist orders - Permit Building and Safety Inspectors to perform non-criminal enforcement of illegal cannabis businesses; - Require licensed businesses to display a placard so that the public can identify a licensed cannabis business; - Force an eviction process by sending a cease and desist order to landlords; and - Notify business partners, creditors, banks etc. that the cannabis business is illegal. These creative enforcement strategies rely on local ordinances to prevent illegal businesses from obtaining a brick-and-mortar storefront. The bigger challenge will be addressing transient business models such as delivery services. ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fhs.getobedio.com%2Fblog%2F2018%2F12%2F13%2F2018-12-13-los-angeles-to-deploy-creative-strategies-to-shut-down-illegal-cannabis-businesses](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fhs.getobedio.com%2Fblog%2F2018%2F12%2F13%2F2018-12-13-los-angeles-to-deploy-creative-strategies-to-shut-down-illegal-cannabis-businesses) ## Keep reading ### [California Ballot Measure Local Municipalities California voters will decide 118 local tax measures and $8.07 billion in bond requests on November 3](https://hs.getobedio.com/blog/california-voters-will-decide-118-local-tax-measures-and-8.07-billion-in-bond-requests-on-november-3) ### [Local Ordinance Zoning Ordinance Development Data Federal Realty Asks La Mesa to Approve a 165,000-Square-Foot Bass Pro Shops Where Macy's Stood at Grossmont Center](https://hs.getobedio.com/blog/federal-realty-asks-la-mesa-to-approve-a-165000-square-foot-bass-pro-shops-where-macys-stood-at-grossmont-center) [![Obedio your municipal data source](https://hs.getobedio.com/hs-fs/hubfs/google%20workspace-1.png?width=100&height=41&name=google%20workspace-1.png "Obedio your municipal data source")](https://getobedio.com) Obedio's business intelligence platform provides data and insights from over 25,000 municipalities, enabling retail, manufacturing, finance, real estate, and government clients to make informed decisions, assess risk, and identify opportunities. **Data Source & Liability Disclaimer:** The data presented on this website is aggregated from various official government and public entities ("The Original Government Sources"). This data may have been modified for use from its original source. The Original Government Sources do not vouch for the quality, accuracy, or timeliness of the data as presented here. All data is provided "as is." Neither Global Regulatory Risk Advisors, Inc. (d/b/a Obedio) nor The Original Government Sources make any representations or warranties as to the completeness, accuracy, or content of any data made available through this site. All warranties, whether express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, are expressly disclaimed. **Usage & Intellectual Property:** While the underlying facts are public records, the specific compilation, organization, and presentation of this information are proprietary to ****Global Regulatory Risk Advisors, Inc. (d/b/a Obedio)****. Any unauthorized copying, distribution, or display of this proprietary presentation is prohibited. Copyright © 2018–2026 Global Regulatory Risk Advisors, Inc. (d/b/a Obedio) [|](https://getobedio.com/privacy)[Terms of Service](https://getobedio.com/terms)[|](https://getobedio.com/privacy)[Privacy Policy](https://getobedio.com/privacy) Privacy Policy · Legal · © 2025. All rights reserved. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Susan Ameel", "url" : "https://hs.getobedio.com/blog/author/susan-ameel" }, "dateModified" : "2025-02-28T01:32:51.296Z", "datePublished" : "2018-12-13T17:32:18.000Z", "headline" : "Los Angeles Prioritizes the Shuttering of Unlicensed Cannabis Businesses", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://hs.getobedio.com/blog/2018/12/13/2018-12-13-los-angeles-to-deploy-creative-strategies-to-shut-down-illegal-cannabis-businesses", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://hs.getobedio.com/hubfs/google%20workspace-1.png" } } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://hs.getobedio.com/blog/2018/12/13/2018-12-13-los-angeles-to-deploy-creative-strategies-to-shut-down-illegal-cannabis-businesses#breadcrumb", "@type" : "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement" : [ { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.getobedio.com/", "name" : "Home", "position" : 1 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://hs.getobedio.com/blog", "name" : "Blog", "position" : 2 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://hs.getobedio.com/blog/2018/12/13/2018-12-13-los-angeles-to-deploy-creative-strategies-to-shut-down-illegal-cannabis-businesses", "name" : "Los Angeles Prioritizes the Shuttering of Unlicensed Cannabis Businesses", "position" : 3 } ] } ```