What do you need to know about weed on your first trip to LA?
If you're 21 or over, you can walk into a dispensary with a valid government ID and buy up to an ounce of flower. You can smoke on private property where the owner is OK with it or at a lounge in West Hollywood or Hawthorne, but not in public, not on the beach and not in a car. Don't try to fly home with it.
Welcome to LA. It's legal here, it's everywhere, and you'll still manage to waste a good high if you don't plan a little, because this city is enormous and the 405 doesn't care about your vibe. Here's what we'd tell a friend who just landed.
Buying weed in LA
It's about as complicated as buying a sandwich. LA has dispensaries on every other corner. You'll need to be 21 or over with a valid government ID, and an out-of-state license or a passport does the job. Adults can carry up to an ounce of flower, which is plenty for any trip.
Two heads-ups. First, tax gets added on top, so the number at the register will be higher than the one on the shelf. Second, products here may hit stronger than what you're used to back home, so ask questions. The folks behind the counter do this all day.
Where you can actually smoke
Here's the whole thing: private is fine, public isn't. Your friend's place with their OK works. Sidewalks, parks, beaches, bars and restaurants don't. No consuming in a car at all, even as a passenger, even parked on the street.
If you don't have a private spot, a lounge is the answer. The City of LA doesn't allow them, but West Hollywood and Hawthorne do, and our weed lounges guide has the rundown. For the longer version of everything else, read where to smoke weed in LA.
Hotels and rentals
Most hotels are smoke-free and they mean it. Lighting up in the room is the fastest way to get a cleaning charge on your card. Treat your hotel room as a no-smoke zone unless the hotel says otherwise, and go with edibles or a lounge run instead.
Rentals are up to the host. Some are cool with a patio, some aren't. Message them when you book, not when you're on the balcony with a lighter.
Edibles for visitors
Edibles are the easy visitor move: no smell, no hotel drama. They're also how people end up lying on the floor of a Santa Monica hotel wondering what year it is. Start low, wait a full hour or two before you take more, and get your snacks lined up before it kicks in.
Getting around without driving high
LA is a car city, so this is the part to sort out first. Don't drive high. Pick one part of town per day and stay in it. Rideshares, the Metro and your own two feet will cover it, and plenty of the best neighborhoods are walkable once you're there. If you've got a sober friend with a car, treat them like royalty and buy their tacos.
Where to base yourself
- Want the beach: Santa Monica for easy and walkable, Venice for weird and fun.
- Want a legal lounge nearby: West Hollywood, which is walkable and close to everything on this side of town.
- Want food all night: Koreatown. People actually walk here. Imagine that.
- Want the movies and the Observatory: Hollywood, as long as you get off the main drag.
- Not sure: the neighborhood guides sort it out, and the season guide tells you what weather you're walking into.
A first-night plan that works
- Golden hour: sesh wherever you're allowed to, then get a ride up to Griffith Observatory and watch the whole city light up.
- Dinner: head down to Thai Town or Koreatown and order too much. Our LA munchies guide has the picks.
- Late: a movie at the Vista or the Egyptian, if something good's playing. Our theater guide has the full list.
- After midnight: a taco truck or a Ktown donut. The late-night guide knows what's cooking.
That's one night, with zero freeways on your own steering wheel. For day two, pull something from things to do high in LA.
First-timer questions
Can tourists buy weed in LA?
Yes. If you're 21 or over with a valid government ID, including an out-of-state license or a passport, you can buy at a dispensary.
Can I bring weed through LAX?
Don't. Air travel falls under federal rules, and cannabis is still illegal under federal law. Finish it, gift it, or leave it behind before you head to the airport.
Can I smoke on the beach?
No. LA County beaches and the Santa Monica beach and pier ban smoking of any kind. Sesh at home, then get a ride down for the sunset.
Can I take it home to another state?
No. Taking cannabis across state lines is against federal law, even if your home state has legal weed. Leave what's left with a friend.
