One print sector is healthy in L.A.: pot magazines

Steve Appleford in the current LA Weekly describes "a tidal wave of publications aimed at the L.A. medical-marijuana community and its previously untapped well of advertising dollars." He opens at a new publication called 420 Times that is produced in Burbank.

His competitors include two free monthlies thick with ad pages: Kush L.A., and the 4-year-old L.A. JEMM, still the largest local pot magazine at 166 oversize pages this month between glossy covers. The magazines serve what Kush publisher Michael Lerner calls "a multibillion-dollar market," delivering political coverage of City Hall indecision along with cannabis recipes, tips on how to roll and interviews with Cheech & Chong.

In JEMM, photo pages from public events show pot advocates posing with cheerful L.A. City Council members, even cornering antipot City Attorney Carmen Trutanich. The pocket-size Patients Guide Los Angeles features starred reviews of various pot strains and a dispensary phone directory.

"Can you believe how many magazines there are?" says Lerner, whose company has expanded Kush into other cities. "And you talk to them: 'Oh, we started last November in our garage.' In every city we open in, we see that, but it doesn't bother us because we're full [of ads]."

Meanwhile: In a unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court struck down limits on how much medical marijuana a patient can possess, "concluding that restrictions imposed by the Legislature were an unconstitutional amendment of a voter-approved initiative." LAT

Photo: OurWeed.com