The passage of Prop 64 in 2016 was a watershed moment, accomplished through blood, sweat and tears. But the hardest part has come in the years that followed — convincing cities to open their doors to commercial sales. Today, only 174 out of 482 California cities allow marijuana businesses. Even fewer allow actual dispensaries where marijuana is sold on site.
California’s most populous cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego allow retail sales. But there are plenty of big cities that don’t.
These are the 10 largest locales where pot stores are still banned, according to an analysis in the Sacramento Bee:
1. Fresno (population 525,000)
2. Bakersfield (population 404,000)
3. Anaheim (population 347,000)
4. Irvine (population 307,000)
5. Fremont (population 230,000)
6. Santa Clarita (population 228,000)
7. Fontana (population 208,000)
8. Oxnard (population 202,000)
9. Huntington Beach (population 199,000)
10. Glendale (population 196,000)
These 10 weed deserts leave a total of 2.8 million people without legal cannabis in their cities. Many of them rely on delivery options or drive long distances to other cities. When that fails, some turn to the black market.