Pot-centric farmer’s market planned in L.A. over Fourth of July weekend

The ever popular farmers market scene in Los Angeles could soon see the introduction of a whole new type of green.

What’s being billed as L.A.’s first-ever cannabis-centric farmers market is scheduled to debut in Boyle Heights over the Fourth of July weekend.

The motivation for organizers is similar to what has driven farmer’s markets across Los Angeles: Direct access to produce, or in this case, pot producers.

“We are offering a new type of way for patients in Los Angeles to access their medicine,” said Paizley Bradbury, executive director of the West Coast Collective, the marijuana dispensary in Boyle Heights hosting the market inside a warehouse-like structure.

Called the California Heritage Market, card-carrying medical marijuana patients, she said, will be able to smell, touch and buy fresh, organic buds directly from growers who will be coming in from throughout the state.

Edible marijuana treats, oils, concentrated cannabis and glass pipes may also be on the menu.

David Welsh, who represents West Coast Collection and several other dispensaries throughout the region, said the market is not “some rogue shop” and complies with local laws.

The event won’t be open to the public in the way most open-air farmers markets are, and access will be limited to those who can legally buy pot.

Organizers plan to verify that every customer at the event is legally able to purchase marijuana products, a process that will include calling their doctors, checking IDs and running licenses through the state’s Medical Marijuana program database.

“It’s a novel idea,” Welsh said of the market. “It really holds true to the purpose of the medical marijuana law.”

The city attorney’s office did not immediately respond to questions Friday on whether the event was legal. Officer Rosario Herrera of the Los Angeles Police Department said organizers would not be doing anything illegal if they were selling to licensed customers.

West Coast Collection’s 15,000-square-foot shop in the 1500 block of South Esperanza Street is one of 135 dispensaries that are allowed to operate in Los Angeles under Proposition D, the measure passed by voters in 2013 that set up the legal perimeters for some dispensaries to remain open.

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