![affinity dispensary affinity dispensary](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c488de_9eb1cb7e997641df8592df0e972345a9~mv2_d_3000_2250_s_2.jpg)
Recently the city has become legitimized as a safe haven for those in the cannabis industry, with Weedmaps being headquartered there, along with Cannabis Science, a medical company researching practical and medicinal uses for marijuana and marijuana derivatives that relocated from Colorado Springs, Colorado. With companies like Mazda, Toshiba and even In-N-Out Burger taking root, it’s no surprise that Irvine is growing into such an affluent enclave. Business & Marijuana in IrvineĪs mentioned above, Irvine is building itself up as California’s second Silicon Valley. Regardless of the explicit prohibition of medical marijuana dispensaries and services in Irvine, there are quite a few cannabis related businesses that operate thanks to some enterprising young souls who are using the city as a base of operations for a much larger vision. In addition, possession of more than 28.5 grams of marijuana, recreational or medicinal, is still a misdemeanor according to the Irvine Sheriff’s Office (this is the norm throughout California). In January of 2016, the Irvine City Council unanimously passed an ordinance within the municipal code prohibiting dispensaries, delivery, and commercial as well as noncommercial (i.e. These permit cities to self-regulate medical and recreational marijuana ordinances as they deem fit, despite a state that has opened up to and benefited from the wonders of legal recreational marijuana.Įven with Proposition 64’s legalization of recreational marijuana here in California, Irvine’s City Council and Sheriff’s department, like many of their Orange County counterparts, are regressive about recreational and medical marijuana use. And while a lot has happened regarding medical and recreational marijuana laws since Irvine grabbed the number seven spot on Mic’s 2014 “Highest City in America” list, the city’s medical and recreational marijuana culture is just as prevalent and dynamic as one of its prodigal sons, Justin Hartfield, co-founder of the revolutionary Weedmaps service.ĭespite its deep ties to marijuana culture, Irvine still struggles with the same problems that many California cities are dealing with - vaguely worded or downright explicitly prohibitive laws.
![affinity dispensary affinity dispensary](https://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2015/04/17/102596947-marijuana.jpg)
There are also and the enterprising young businessmen and women who are helping to spur the culture forward. Irvine isn’t just young college students soaking up the sun and bathing in the pro-cannabis So Cal atmosphere. People & Places to See While Medicated in Irvine.The History of Medical Marijuana in Irvine.It’s no surprise then, that Irvine has a large number of ganja enthusiasts. Continue reading and you’ll discover: Twenty minutes inland from Newport Beach lies the city of Irvine, an affluent microcosm of around 250,000 people boasting the headquarters of many noteworthy corporations, and, most importantly for medical and recreational marijuana culture, a plethora of higher education institutions. IRVINE: WHERE TITANS OF THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA INDUSTRY CALL HOME How-To Get a Medical Marijuana Card Online in Irvine, California