Five New Marijuana Dispensaries Open in Eagle Rock

When the City Council reviews a “gentle ban” on medical marijuana proposed by Council Member José Huizar—a discussion by the full Council was scheduled Friday but has been postponed—five new marijuana dispensaries in Eagle Rock will likely figure in the debate.

According to President Michael Larsen, who, along with President Bob Gotham, was scheduled to make a presentation before the City Council in support of Huizar’s proposal, the latest medical marijuana facilities to set up shop in Eagle Rock are:

• Together For Change (click here to read our story about this Colorado Boulevard facility’s recent opening).

• So Cal Herbal Care, 4344 Eagle Rock Blvd.

• ER Wellness Group, 4682 York Blvd.

• Elixir of Life Collective, 4515 York Blvd.

• Colorado Quality Pain Relief Inc., 4740 Eagle Rock Blvd.

The opening of these facilities raises to 15 the total number of medical marijuana dispensaries in Eagle Rock, according to Larsen, who says he noticed them while driving around and then double-checked them either by going in or calling.

“The City does not track openings and closings” of medical marijuana dispensaries, explains Larsen, adding: “They rely on community members to do that.”

Larsen spotted something interesting about Colorado Quality Pain Relief Inc. “They have all these very ‘official’ permits prominently displayed as you walk in—a business tax registration certificate, tobacco sales certificate, sales tax certificate—as if these somehow point to their legitimacy.” Adds Larsen: “The only problem is that there is no permit for MMDs and all of their documents are for a different address.”

Another curious thing about some of the new marijuana dispensaries, including Colorado Quality Pain Relief Inc., is that their storefronts have no name. Some of them have signs that are bland and uninviting (see photos). Others feature fairly artistic signs. Featuring motifs borrowed from the Hindu faith, the sign for Colorado Quality Pain Relief, for example, gives the impression that it might be a yoga studio.

Marijuana Database at Cal State Northridge

The Los Angeles Times recently featured a fascinating article in which Steven Graves, a geography professor at Cal State Northridge, teamed up with his students to create a database of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles.

Built painstakingly over the past several years, the database documents the buildings, signs and parking lots of marijuana facilities, dividing them into four distinct groups—“ones that project the image of mainstream medical providers; ones that project a holistic ‘granola’ vibe; ones that look like bunkers and appear to want to go unnoticed; and ones that make a clear appeal to ‘stoners,’ casting themselves as dispensing recreation rather than medicine,” according to Graves, who authored the Times article.

None of the medical marijuana facilities in Eagle Rock per se are featured in the Times article, although Organic Healing Center, a dispensary in Glassell Park, did make it into the article.

Organic Healing Center falls into Graves’ “granola” category—and we think Colorado Quality Pain Relief Inc., among a few other dispensaries in Eagle Rock, belongs squarely in the same group.

Click here to view photos from the database, featured in the Times story.