ENCINITAS — The city’s first of four cannabis shops is set to open by the end of the week. The Cake House, a Southern California recreational cannabis chain, will be the first marijuana dispensary to open in the city since residents approved Measure H in 2020.
While recreational cannabis is legal statewide, individual cities and counties can choose whether or not they allow businesses to sell it. Measure H, a voter-backed initiative allowing for the regulated sale and cultivation of cannabis in Encinitas, required the city to regulate cannabis retail sales.
In 2022, the city chose four cannabis enterprises through a lottery process out of 200 applicants: The Cake House at 583 South Coast Hwy., ECR Encinitas4 LLC at 211 North El Camino Real, STIIIZY at 1030 North Coast Hwy. and Siesta Life Encinitas LLC at 1038 South Coast Hwy.
In a presentation to the Encinitas City Council on Jan. 24, city staff provided status updates on each of the four dispensaries, noting that The Cake House had obtained its state license and was nearing completion.
Employees prepare to open The Cake House, the first of four dispensaries coming to Encinitas. Photo by Samantha Nelson
ECR Encinitas4 LLC is not far behind, having already obtained