City Closes Second-to-Last Illegal Cannabis Dispensary in Pasadena

The city announced on Wednesday that there is just one illegal cannabis dispensary remaining in Pasadena.

The next to last, Benjamin’s 30 Cap Collection in the 700 block of East Washington Boulevard, was closed as of Wednesday morning, according to a report by city officials. This is the 23rd illegal cannabis dispensary permanently closed since August 2018.

“The City of Pasadena has moved aggressively to close illegal cannabis dispensaries which have located wherever they wish, in violation of the law and in proximity to residential neighborhoods, schools, and places of worship,” said Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian.

The city has been seeking to close illegally operating dispensaries for several years. At one point there were 29 cannabis dispensaries operating without city approval.

Only Kush 20 remains open. According to Code Compliance Officer Jon Pollard, since 2016, hundreds of citations have been written to illegally operating dispensaries.

A Pasadena property owner where the dispensary is housed on Walnut Street is appealing a Code Enforcement Commission panel decision ordering he require a cannabis business to cease operating on property he owns.

In a 2-1 decision December, the Code Enforcement Commission formally ordered the closure of Kush 20 House, at 1644 East Walnut Street owned by Ararat Avanasiyan and his brother Yeros Avanessian (each spells his last name differently), who was removed from the city’s complaint in December.

Only six dispensaries have advanced in the city’s process that allows them to legally sell cannabis. So far, only Harvest of Pasadena and Integral Dena LLC have received conditional use permits.

“The City Attorney’s/Prosecutor’s Office, Police Department, Code Enforcement Division, and Planning Department continue to work in coordination. Currently, there is only one illegally-operating dispensary left in Pasadena, and efforts are underway to seek its closure,” Derderian said.

“Recognizing the problems that illegal cannabis dispensaries create for adjoining areas, we will continue to aggressively protect our residents from all illegal uses.”