21+ only
This site lists licensed cannabis retailers. You need to be 21 or over, or 18 and over with a valid medical cannabis card where your state allows it.
8 licensed shops open in Santa Cruz right now, ranked on a star rating weighted by how many people actually left one. The Hook Dispensary leads at 4.8.
A 4.9 from 300 people is a weaker claim than a 4.8 from 7,000, so every rating here is pulled toward the California average in proportion to how few reviews sit behind it. Both figures are printed on each entry.
1129 Mission St
A small crew of budtenders, one above all, gets named in nearly every review, credited with knowing what regulars want and finding a good deal on flower. Rewards points never expire, which a longtime customer calls out. It is cash only, and parking is free on site or on the street.
Open
3088 Winkle Ave Ste c
A small shop that still carries a well-stocked menu, top-shelf items included, and a regular likes that it never feels like wandering a shopping mall. Prices are called fair, discounts turn up often, and a customer of at least 10 years still rates it first in town.
Open
533 Ocean St
Kind, quick and courteous is the recurring summary, with a pleasant greeting at the door and budtenders who know the product across a big variety. The register takes debit rather than credit, so bring a debit card.
Open
115 Limekiln St
Deals drive the reviews here, with regulars describing deep promotions, a punch card that earns a discount once filled and a deal for new customers, all popular with college students. Most visits take under 10 minutes. Credit and debit cards are accepted, with a paid parking lot.
Open
3600 Soquel Ave
Clones are a big part of the draw, with home growers praising the genetics. Budtenders take their time with first-timers, debit cards work at the register, and dogs get treats. Dime Bag and infused pre-rolls are among the products reviewers mention.
Open
A star average hides how many people stood behind it. Every rating is shrunk toward the California mean in proportion to its review count, so a shop needs a high score and real volume to reach the top. The weighted figure sits next to the raw one on every entry.
Every one Google lists as open and licensed under a cannabis category at the time of the last check. Shops that had closed permanently or temporarily are dropped, as is anything that turned up in the search but sits outside California.
Because we have not read one. Plenty of shops sell only through a third-party ordering platform that publishes nothing on their own domain, and a brand list is not worth guessing at.
Quarterly. Ratings move and shops close, and a list nobody re-checks becomes a directory of places that used to be good.