One summer night in 2022, my friends and I were taking in the view from Mulholland Drive when I chose to skip my turn during the joint rotation.
By then, I’d learned that edibles banished my smoke-induced cough attacks, vulnerability to respiratory diseases, and the heavy weed odor that clung to my clothes and hair while also giving me the ability to schedule my highs.
I'd consciously made the switch from smoking weed to eating it and haven't looked back. This led me to learn about the best and wildest edible selections in and around L.A.
Here are five of my favorite L.A. dispensaries to depend on to satisfy the city's edible needs.
Josephine and Billies ~ Mid-City
Josephine & Billies is the second dispensary owned by Black female entrepreneurs to open in L.A., debuting in 2021 from Whitney Beatty and Ebony Anderson. Its name pays homage to Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday, two legendary entertainers of color who were both persecuted for their cannabis consumption and fought against injustice. Josephine and Billie's mission is to create a safe, educational space for cannabis consumers, especially other women of color, while promoting diversity and inclusion and providing its community with a legal dispensary closer to home.
While this speakeasy-inspired dispensary is on the smaller side, its walls are packed with edibles catering to all price points. Its menu offers 118 brands, including Mike Tyson’s ear-shaped gummies, THC-infused tajin, freeze pops, cannabis-infused ice cubes, and powdered drink mixes.
J & B's also offers you the unique opportunity of being able to meet some of the cannabis brand owners at a recurring party they throw in their parking lot every first Sunday of the month.
1535 West Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019
The Green Qween ~ Downtown Los Angeles
Green Qween is the first unapologetically queer dispensary in Downtown L.A. Created by Andres Rigal and Taylor Bazley, this cool, vibrant space opened in 2022 as a place of discovery, where queer folks could feel safe, uplifted and empowered, whether as a brand-owner or consumer.
Its 400-pound disco ball hangs above a wall of LGBTQIA+-owned products, including a 247-strong edibles selection from brands such as Wyld, Emerald Sky, and Maison Bloom.
On its shelves and below its neon signs, an impressive selection of edibles abounds, including weed-infused Pop Rocks, jellybeans, mango chile powder, crackers, coffees, hot cocoa, and sodas.
1051 S. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90015
The Woods ~ West Hollywood
The Woods is an upscale, lush escape full of parrots, plants, and koi fish that offers a rare cannabis consumption experience. The dispensary opened its doors in 2022, brought to life by the owners of Erba and a coterie of their celebrity friends, including Woody Harrelson and Bill Maher. The space was designed by Thomas Schoos, who once used this paradise as his firm's office.
The 170 edibles at The Woods come from a range of both recognizable and niche brands, with tablets, mints, butter, marshmallow cereal treats, a small selection of canned cannabis drinks, and more.
Watch: The L.A. TACO crew takes a day off to enjoy The Woods Ganga Giggle Garden.
Guests can enjoy their highs in the “Ganja Giggle Garden,” near the cannabis-infused beverages bar, or with friends in one of their treehouse cabanas, available for rent. Unlike other dispensaries, the space is designed for people to kick back and enjoy themselves.
The Woods is a destination for people to spend a calm afternoon alone or a night outdoors with luxe stoner buds while they listen to the water flowing into the koi pond.
8271 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90046
Calma ~ West Hollywood
Located just a few minutes from The Woods is Calma, a spacious, modern dispensary with a pink, leaf-painted exterior and large glass windows. It opened in 2020 and is a quiet space, but the selection of THC drinks is certainly worthy of buzz.
This dispensary has a large selection of cannabis-infused drinks, making it the spot for those on a Cali-sober hiatus from alcohol. Or anyone who wants to crack open an infused St. Ides Georgia Peach with friends or while sitting on the couch during a chill night in, the TV playing your favorite comfort show. Usually, canned cannabis-infused drinks are sold individually, but Calma offers them in packs, just as people expect for beers or sodas.
On an early morning stop, you may find yourself reaching for a cannabis energy drink. Employees say that one frequent customer does this almost every morning during their runs. Aside from the drink selection, they carry over 100 gummies, chocolates, tablets, and pills.
Calma also has a mission to de-stigmatize cannabis and promote equitable employment opportunities by disregarding non-violent, cannabis-related incarcerations or criminal convictions during its hiring process. Additionally, some of their sales are donated to the Black AIDS Institute.
1155 N. La Brea Ave. West Hollywood, CA 90038
Photo by Caitlin Melgar for L.A. TACO.
Stash Dash ~ Atwater Village
Cannabis techies, this one's for you. Just last year, Stash Dash made its home in Atwater Village. The ample, open space is filled with natural light from their windows. The cases house a large selection of edibles, which makes one's eyes sparkle with all the ice cream cone bites, syrups, juices, sodas, tablets, gummies, and chocolates before you.
At Stash Dash, the future is now, as it deploys high-tech devices that allow guests to place the products they’re interested in on a reader that displays information about them, including their anticipated high, on a screen.
Parking is a timeless L.A. tale, though. You need to find street parking and will most likely need to pay for it at a meter.
3172 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90039
