VAN NUYS, Calif. — The recent surge in demand for delivery services includes the marijuana industry, but one Southern California operation has been unable to fully take advantage of this opportunity.
Ganja Goddess is a marijuana delivery service. The Chief Executive Officer, Zachary Pitts, is one of the petitioners named in a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles and the L.A. Department of Cannabis Regulation.
The two others are the cannabis trade group known as the Southern California Coalition and the California Cannabis Couriers Association.
The 21-page lawsuit was filed in October and ever since then, the company has been in limbo.
Ganja Goddess employee Jessica Paul fills orders. It’s the 23-year-old associate’s first cannabis job.
Most of her friends are unemployed right now.
“Some people are a little, you know, they’re not for cannabis, but the other half is like 'oh that’s really cool.' They’re like 'are they hiring?'” said Paul.
Her own job is on shaky ground.
Ganja Goddess is delivery only, but they don’t have a delivery license yet from the city of L.A. New rules state only social equity operators can apply and receive a delivery license until 2025. Social equity refers to business owners, many of color, who were arrested or convicted of a marijuana-related offense or lived in neighborhoods with high marijuana arrest rates.
This totally thwarts Pitts’s plan.
“I mean we’re suing the city of L.A. We’re kind of at our wits’ end,” said Pitts.
The lawsuit isn’t about stopping the delivery licenses already going out, but wants the court to allow other stand-alone delivery businesses to apply.
Ganja Goddess delivers in the Bay Area too and business during the pandemic has been great. They set up shop in Van Nuys hoping to replicate that success.
They’ve been waiting so long for this delivery license, L.A. native Pitts is considering something he really didn’t want to do: leave.
“It’s not easy to look at all the sweat and money that we’ve been putting into LA and say, you know what, I’m done with that. I’m moving to another city,” said Pitts.
Right now they rely on other licensed businesses to deliver product. This is not very profitable nor efficient.
Pitts believes there’s room for him and social equity operators, which combined might help temper the large illicit pot market.
Until a response comes Pitts' way of life hangs in the balance.
“I live in the Palisades so it’s really good to have a job right now so I don’t have to worry about paying rent or anything like that,” said Pitts.
Spectrum News reached out to the L.A. City Attorney’s office. They confirmed they’re reviewing the complaint, but wouldn’t give any further details.