Where to Buy CBD, Delta 8 THC, & More in San Diego, California

Is Marijuana Legal In San Diego?

Buying and using marijuana is entirely legal in the city of San Diego.

California places strict rules on the limits of how much you can carry. Carrying more than an ounce (28.5 grams) of flower or 8 grams of concentrate can net you a $500 fine or up to 6 months in county jail. You also won’t find marijuana-infused food or drink products in this city.

At the federal level, marijuana is technically still legal. Even though certain states can legalize or decriminalize the plant, if you’re caught with cannabis anywhere by federal authorities, you could be charged with a felony.

Despite that, California became the world’s largest marijuana market after retail sales began in cities including San Diego in 2018. The City of San Diego has the largest number of operating cannabis shops in the region.

If you’re interested in growing your own industrial hemp for marketing or processing, then you’ll have to get a license. The first step for this is getting in touch with the Industrial Hemp Research Pilot program.

Unfortunately, California-grown marijuana is known to have a higher concentration of pesticides, herbicides, and E. Coli than cannabis grown in other states. Because of this, mandatory testing on Californian pot products was instigated on 7/1/2018.

You don’t actually need an MMICP card to buy weed. However, since medical patients can carry more cannabis, most of them choose to carry the card in case they’re confronted by the police.

It’s pretty easy to become an MMIC. Just set up an in-person application at the health department of your local county. They can sign you up for the program relatively, and once that’s done, you’ll pay about $50 for your medical marijuana card. Marijuana will cost between $8-15 a gram.

Is Delta 8 THC Legal in San Diego?

Delta 8 THC is nearly identical to delta 9 THC, the compound that is most well-known for causing intoxication. Delta 9 THC is specifically outlined in many countries and states. For this reason, people in these areas often look for legal loopholes that allow them to enjoy similar psychoactive experiences without breaking the law.

Fortunately, San Diego residents don’t have to worry about this. State laws allow the use of all parts of the cannabis plant. Specifically, Division 10 of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act states that all parts of the Cannabis sativa plant are included in its legal status.

List of Dispensaries in San Diego

San Diego has transformed a lot since marijuana was legalized, and the cannabis industry has become a huge cash crop for the city. Here are a few of the prime examples of the marijuana industry in San Diego.

1. Harbor Collective

This dispensary is located downtown, has a good variety of edibles, extracts, and topical CBD solutions that can be applied to muscles and sore joints. The Harbor Collective is reliable, consistent, and affordable. They don’t have much of a brand image to promote, which is one of the reasons that their customers love them: they’re just people selling cannabis to other people.

2. Golden State Greens

Located by the sports arena, Golden State Greens has one of the best selections and variety of marijuana flower in the whole city. If you can make it through the long waiting rooms, you’ll be rewarded with some great options.

3. Torrey Holistics

Torrey Holistics is located in North County San Diego, the home of the wealthy and luxurious. Surprisingly, Torrey Holistics isn’t really that fancy. That’s probably because it’s one of the only dispensaries in North County, San Diego.

4. Golden Bloom

Not everyone needs their cannabis shopping to be an announced, unique experience at a custom-tailored dispensary. Some just want to buy cannabis by making a little stop at a hole-in-the-wall shop like Golden Bloom, located in Golden Hill. It’s off the beaten path but still central enough that anyone who stumbles upon it tends to go back.

5. A Green Alternative

Located in Otay Mesa, close to the border, this shop prides itself on testing and regulating its marijuana through third-party lab tests. They help out many of the Mexican natives who flock to the dispensary to purchase government-sanctioned weed that won’t get them in trouble.

Related: Find CBD Products in San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento & Riverside.

The Benefits of Ordering CBD Online

In many states, CBD can be purchased at dispensaries. However, in a lot of ways, it’s easier to purchase online. Here are a few benefits of purchasing CBD online:

Better For Suburb Inhabitants

Purchasing CBD online allows people to order it no matter where they live. If you don’t live close to a spot where you can buy medical cannabinoids, you can purchase them online instead.

Cheaper

Purchasing CBD online is also often cheaper than it is in person. It’s easier to purchase CBD in bulk. You can also buy CBD isolate much easier, which allows you to make your own tinctures and oils for a fraction of the price.

Better Variety

When buying products online, you have more access to a wider range of products than you’d ever have in a store. Think of an entire warehouse instead of a single storefront.

Rather than simply purchasing one type of CBD, you may be able to choose from different types. Full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and isolated extracts are all very different. We’ll touch on this in the next section.

Full-Spectrum vs. CBD Isolate: What’s The Difference?

You may have heard about cannabis tinctures as described in different ways.

Full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and CBD isolate tinctures are several different types of cannabis extractions and products. Each one is a bit different. Some people say that the difference is night and day, whereas others don’t find much difference at all.

CBD isolate is pure CBD mixed in a carrier oil.

Pro tip: it’s really easy to make these by just adding some CBD to shelf-stable vegetable oil and heating it up. This is the cheapest way to do it, but otherwise, store-bought CBD isolate is the most affordable.

You may also choose between full-spectrum and broad-spectrum extracts. These extracts contain all of the cannabinoids that come naturally in the hemp or marijuana plant.

Full-spectrum extracts give rise to what researchers call the entourage effect. This is a chain of effects that occurs when all the different cannabinoids work together to produce effects greater than the sum of their parts.

Some people say that the entourage effect is so powerful that there’s not much point in using isolated CBD. Others disagree, finding just as much benefit from using extract and CBD. Scientific research reports that there is some tangible, positive difference for users of broad/full-spectrum extracts.

Broad-spectrum extracts include all of the different cannabinoids except for THC. Broad-spectrum extracts are generally sold for legal reasons, especially in places where THC is illegal.

Since the amount of THC is generally negligible even in full-spectrum extracts, its effects when combined are subtle. So don’t worry about missing out if you’re using a broad-spectrum instead of a full-spectrum.

Conclusion: Where to Buy CBD in San Diego

CBD is legal in San Diego. You can also grow, buy, and carry an ounce of marijuana or eight grams of concentrate. Careful, though — carrying much more than this can lead to jail time. Delta 8 THC and all other naturally occurring cannabinoids are also legal within this city.

Here in San Diego, you’ll have a number of different dispensaries serving products of all different types. Take some time to figure out what works best for you.

If you don’t want to shop locally and would rather save money or make your own tinctures, shopping online is also another option. You can find world-famous products that are only sold online, for example.

In either case, CBD and cannabis as a whole plant is a powerful and fantastic medicine that should not be overlooked.