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Dispensaries with unassuming names like Cookies could be mistaken for other types of businesses, like a bakery. Officials in La Mesa are advancing a proposal that would give cannabis retailers the chance to change that.
A proposal by Vice Mayor Lauren Cazares recommending cannabis shops identify themselves as “dispensaries” in their signage was unanimously approved by city leaders last week.
“Cookies looks like a fancy cookie shop,” Cazares said. “It could potentially draw minors who are interested.”
Another cannabis chain with two storefronts in La Mesa named Wellgreens is often confused with Walgreens, a pharmacy, or a health food store, she continued.
La Mesa is home to the highest concentration of licensed cannabis dispensaries in East County. There are 13 legally operating cannabis retailers in the city, according to city records.
In 2016, 53% of La Mesa residents voted to legalize medical marijuana dispensaries, cultivation and manufacturing. A wide majority of voters greenlit a city tax on commercial cannabis in 2018. A year later, city officials allowed recreational and medical cannabis to be sold at the same storefront.
Notably, the proposed policy would not require dispensaries to identify themselves in signage content. The ordinance would simply clarify the city’s intent for businesses to do so.
Current regulations don’t allow dispensary operators in La Mesa to display the full name of their business if it includes the word “dispensary,” Cazares noted. The proposal would repeal that restriction.
She believes the change is one most cannabis retailers will support, noting that Wellgreens has the word “dispensary” on its signs in cities outside of La Mesa.
“I imagine that most business-minded folks that own these dispensaries would be interested in doing so (identifying themselves in signage),” Cazares said.
Sarmad Hallak, a co-founder of Wellgreens Dispensary, said the cannabis chain supports the proposal and described it as a “thoughtful step forward” that “helps improve transparency, customer awareness, and overall accessibility.”
“This is a meaningful move toward modernizing local policy in a way that supports both consumers and responsible operators,” Hallak said in a written statement. “It also plays an important role in continuing to shift perceptions and normalize the cannabis industry through clarity and education.”
Whether cannabis stores should be required to explicitly label themselves as a dispensary on signage is a subject of debate that intertwines jurisdictional power, business branding and consumer safety.
Local regulations on dispensary signage vary widely across San Diego County.
For instance, Lemon Grove requires dispensaries to post a city sign permit, but bans any terminology or symbols for cannabis from signage, including the word “dispensary.” On the other hand, the city of San Diego does not set specific standards for signage.
“I think it will be really useful and keep our community safer,” Cazares said. “Frankly, it will also be good for business, which is good for tax revenue. So I think it’s an all-around win.”
Now that the proposal has received initial approval, staff will draft up an ordinance and officials will vote on it in an upcoming meeting.
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