Deputies Shut Down Final Illegal Marijuana Dispensary

The final illegal cannabis dispensary in Pasadena was forced to close on Thursday morning.

“This morning Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies evicted employees of the illegal cannabis dispensary known as Kush 20 House at 1644 E. Walnut Street and returned lawful occupancy to the property owner,” said Code Commissioner Jon Pollard.

“A locksmith was on site to remove the ex-tenant’s locks and install new locks for the property owner.”

The operators of Kush 20 House lost a court battle last week after a judge ruled against an ex parte motion that would have stopped the eviction.

The city has fought to close illegal dispensaries for several years On Feb. 6, city officials announced they had closed 23 illegal cannabis dispensary permanently since August 2018.

In a 2-1 decision in December, Pasadena’s Code Enforcement Commission formally ordered the closure of Kush 20 House.

In 2018, voters passed Measure CC, the city’s highly regulated process which allows only six pot dispensaries — and only one in each of the city’s seven council districts — to operate legally in Pasadena.

The measure also requires dispensaries to maintain strict distance limits from schools, libraries, churches and residential neighborhoods. Nearly 200 businesses applied to do business in Pasadena.

In June, The Atrium Group, Harvest of Pasadena, Integral Associates Dena, Tony Fong, Sweetwater Pasadena and MME Pasadena Retail were picked from among 122 applicants vying for permission to sell marijuana in the city.

So far only Harvey and Integral have received conditional use permits.

After Measure CC passed, the City Council banned so-called “nuisance,” or non-permitted dispensaries from applying for business licenses under the city’s cannabis law.