Art Deco tower on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood

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West Hollywood, where you can actually sesh

The easiest place in LA to walk into a lounge, buy some flower and smoke it right there. Plus the Sunset Strip.

West Hollywood is small, squeezed between LA and Beverly Hills. It punches way above its weight on nightlife, music history and queer culture, and for our purposes, it's the capital of legal social smoking in Southern California.

This is the only city on this site where we can point you at a real, licensed lounge. Start there, then go see some live music on the Strip, then go eat. In that order.

How WeHo became LA's weed city

West Hollywood was unincorporated county land for decades, and that's exactly why the Sunset Strip got wild in the 1920s: clubs and casinos operated out of LAPD's reach. The city finally incorporated on November 29, 1984, pushed by a coalition of gay men, Russian Jewish immigrants and seniors who wanted rent control. Its first council had an openly gay majority.

That independent streak carried right into cannabis. The city started taking applications for on-site consumption licenses in 2018 and named its first permit winners in early 2019, out of roughly 300 applicants. In 2019 the first cannabis cafe in the country opened on La Brea, and WeHo has been the place for legal social smoking in the region ever since.

The West Hollywood cannabis lounges

All three are 21 and over, all need a real government ID, and none of them let you bring your own. You buy there, you smoke there. No alcohol either, since California doesn't allow booze and weed on the same licensed premises.

  • West Hollywood

    The Woods WeHo

    8271 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046

    Woody Harrelson's spot, open as a dispensary and lounge since May 2022. The lounge is an outdoor garden with a koi pond and private cabanas you can reserve. They'll lend you glassware and accessories with ID, and there's a THC drink bar.

    Walk-ins are first come, first served. On a nice evening the garden is the most relaxing place to smoke in the whole city.

    TipBook a cabana if you're rolling with a group.

  • West Hollywood

    The Artist Tree West Hollywood

    8625 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

    A dispensary with a lounge upstairs that feels like a restaurant, art all over the walls. You can smoke, vape or sip a cannabis drink, as long as it's bought there. They serve non-alcoholic drinks tableside and sometimes run events like painting nights.

    TipReserve a table, or roll up and check for an open one.

  • West Hollywood

    Sunset Social Club

    8228 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046

    A members lounge right across from Chateau Marmont, opened in June 2025. It's a big space with a consumption room, an outdoor patio and a cannabis mixology bar.

    Not a member? The club says non-members are welcome with a minimum cannabis purchase.

    TipMembers only. Don't just show up.

Things to do on the Sunset Strip and beyond

The Sunset Strip runs about 1.7 miles of Sunset Boulevard, from Marmont Lane on the east to the Beverly Hills line. Santa Monica Boulevard, an old piece of Route 66, is the city's other main drag.

  • Sunset Strip

    Whisky a Go Go

    8901 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

    Opened January 16, 1964. The Doors were the house band here, playing seven nights a week, and it was home base for the Strip's metal era later on.

  • Sunset Strip

    The Roxy Theatre

    Opened September 20, 1973, with Neil Young playing the first nights. The Rocky Horror Show had its first US run here in 1974, and Pee-wee Herman debuted on its stage in 1981. Goldenvoice has been its exclusive promoter since 2014.

  • Sunset Strip

    The Viper Room

    8852 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

    Opened in 1993 and once co-owned by Johnny Depp. It's still a live music venue, but the block is slated for redevelopment, so see a show while you can.

    TipGo soon. The clock is ticking on this building.

  • Sunset Strip

    The Comedy Store

    8433 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA

    Opened in 1972 and built into a comedy empire by Mitzi Shore. The building used to be Ciro's, one of old Hollywood's big nightclubs. Grab a late show. Stoned comedy is the best comedy.

  • Sunset Strip

    Rainbow Bar and Grill

    9015 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA

    Rock bar and restaurant since 1972, and Lemmy from Motörhead's daily hang for the last two decades of his life. Very leather, very loud.

  • West Hollywood

    The Abbey

    686 N Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood, CA

    Started as a coffeehouse in 1991 and grew into a central LGBTQ institution in LA, often called the city's version of the Stonewall Inn. It claims to have invented the appletini. Now under new owners, still packed.

  • West Hollywood

    Pacific Design Center

    8687 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA

    César Pelli's glass giants. The blue one opened in 1975 and locals call it the Blue Whale, then came green in 1988 and red in 2013. Worth a walk-by if you're stoned and into architecture.

    TipLook at it from the street. It's the wildest building in WeHo.

Where to eat in and around West Hollywood

After the lounge, you'll be hungry. Here's where to go.

  • Fairfax (next to WeHo)

    Canter's Deli

    419 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

    Just over the city line on Fairfax, a deli institution since 1931 and in this building, a former movie theater, since 1953. Get the corned beef Reuben late at night or the black and white cookie. The attached Kibitz Room bar has been around since 1961 and usually has live music.

    TipSkip Matt's Special. Get the Reuben.

  • West Hollywood

    Irv's Burgers

    Open since 1946 and the go-to for nacho cheese-covered munchies around here. Old school, no frills, perfect after a sesh.

  • Sunset Strip

    Carney's

    A Sunset Strip fixture known for nostalgic chili cheese dogs. Exactly what you want at the end of a night on the Strip.

    TipChili cheese dog. Don't overthink it.

  • West Hollywood

    Jones Hollywood

    7205 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046

    Dim Italian spot with a late-night happy hour. Spaghetti and meatballs in a cast iron skillet, spicy sausage pizza, and an apple pie for two that you will not regret.

    TipGet the apple pie.

  • West Hollywood

    Marvito

    1113 N Harper Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90046

    Retro Tex-Mex cantina with strong cocktails and loud group dinners. The BBQ ribs come as a build-your-own taco setup big enough for two.

    TipSkip the chips and salsa. Get the queso.

A perfect night in West Hollywood

Start late afternoon at The Woods and grab a cabana in the garden. If you'd rather sit inside, The Artist Tree's lounge up the street is the move. Either way you buy and smoke on site, and you leave the drinks for later.

Walk off the glow with a cruise past the Pacific Design Center, then get dinner at Jones or Marvito. Head up to the Sunset Strip for a show at the Whisky, the Roxy or the Viper Room, or a late set at The Comedy Store.

End at Carney's for a chili cheese dog, or grab a ride over to Canter's for a Reuben. WeHo is great for walking, but between the hills and the high, let somebody else drive home.

Nearby neighborhoods

Silver Lake is a short ride east if you want a more laid-back scene. Out west, Santa Monica and Venice are the beach move. For a deeper look at every legal option, see where to smoke. New to all this? Start with first time.

Questions about West Hollywood

Can you smoke weed in West Hollywood lounges?

Yes. West Hollywood licenses consumption lounges, and The Artist Tree, The Woods WeHo and Sunset Social Club let you smoke on site. You have to be 21 or over with a government ID, and you can only smoke what you buy there.

Can you bring your own weed to a WeHo lounge?

No. The lounges require you to buy on site. Outside cannabis, tobacco and alcohol aren't allowed at The Woods, and The Artist Tree only allows products bought there.

Is Sunset Social Club open to the public?

Pretty much. It's built as a members lounge, across from Chateau Marmont on Sunset, but the club says non-members are welcome with a minimum cannabis purchase. For a garden vibe, try The Woods.

Do WeHo cannabis lounges serve alcohol?

No. California doesn't allow alcohol and cannabis on the same licensed premises, so the lounges serve non-alcoholic drinks and THC beverages instead.

Is West Hollywood part of Los Angeles?

No, West Hollywood has been its own city since November 29, 1984. That's why it can license lounges when the City of LA doesn't.

Can you smoke on the Sunset Strip?

Not on the street. Public consumption is a ticket in California, even in WeHo. Do your smoking inside a licensed lounge.

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