Catalyst Cannabis: The Best Dispensaries in California
Catalyst is a testament to Real California Cannabis. In an industry rife with con men, grifters, bad business, and the ongoing ripple effects lingering from decades of prohibition, Catalyst is proof that there are still people in the space who care about keeping the legacy alive. We came from hiding in the hills, doing business in the shadows, and losing our livelihoods when the helicopters came calling every harvest season to where we are today.
After the passage of Proposition 64, we eventually left the shadows and stepped into what we thought would be sunlight. We were given rudimentary legal protections, storefronts, and a pathway to leave the black market. After years of persecution for our love of the plant, it was a welcome breath of fresh air.
Unfortunately, that breath of fresh air was extremely short-lived. It became very clear, very fast that we had a long road ahead of us and we would have to fight every step of the way. Between the gross over-taxation, a litany of bad actors, and god-awful lack of legitimate government oversight, legal cannabis has been (for lack of a more accurate term) a complete and total shit show for everybody involved. The proof of that is in the obscene and exponential number of cannabis businesses that have gone belly up since Prop 64 passed.
That’s where Catalyst comes in. Our founder and CEO, Elliot Lewis, wanted to be a part of the solution. He created a chain of retail locations beginning in 2020 with the opening of the Catalyst Long Beach location. Catalyst now boasts 29 locations with more than 500 employees in the four years since its inception. In an extremely cutthroat market with little to no marketing options, the secret ingredient to Catalyst’s success has been the blend of entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to what Elliot sees as the core values of the cannabis community: authenticity, accessibility, quality product for consumers and fair treatment for workers.
Weed For The People means we do things the right way. We treat our employees and customers with the respect they deserve. We go out of our way to ensure the products stocked on our shelves are safe. We speak out against everything that’s wrong with legal cannabis and we speak loudly. You need to look no further than Elliot Lewis' Instagram page for evidence of this.
Lewis spearheaded the Cat 4 movement which incentivized brands to voluntarily submit their product to more expansive testing than the state requires when it became clear that bad actors were using pesticides on their products that California labs did not routinely test for. He has waged an online campaign against the Department of Cannabis Control on behalf of every company in the space which has been negatively impacted by their poor oversight of the industry. He’s gone up against the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union for insufficient advocacy on behalf of cannabis workers. He has drawn attention to numerous examples of predatory business tactics, taken brands off the shelves that put consumers in harm’s way, and used his platform to showcase people and brands doing things the right way through the Catalyst podcast, blog and social media channels.
That’s what Catalyst is all about. We run towards the fire, not away from it. We’ve managed to expand in a remarkably short amount of time and remain successful in a market that bankrupts people every other day because we are here to serve the people and always try to do the right thing. Most importantly, and what sets us apart from a majority of other retailers is we are staffed and run by actual smokers.
We know what quality is and we bring it to our shelves in the form of the best brands in California cannabis. Alien Labs, 710 Labs, CAM, Fig Farms, Doja Pak, the list goes on and on. You won’t find any other retailers who understand quality like we do. We also understand our customers. We know that not everybody is looking for the best, most expensive smoke available. Our budtenders understand that. They know how to find you the best product for the money you want to spend and the best part is, at Catalyst, you can rest easy knowing that the products you buy are clean and safe to consume.
Selling weed shouldn’t be complicated, and we do it well because we come from the legacy market. We remember the days when your bud came in a ziploc and we stuck around this long because we love what we do. We love the cannabis plant and we love the community built around it which is why we suit up and show up every day no matter what obstacles we face. Your Catalyst family is here to stay and waiting diligently at 29 different locations to help you discover a whole new love for the cannabis plant. Weed for the People!
Catalyst Cannabis: The Best Dispensaries in California
Catalyst is a testament to Real California Cannabis. In an industry rife with con men, grifters, bad business, and the ongoing ripple effects lingering from decades of prohibition, Catalyst is proof that there are still people in the space who care about keeping the legacy alive. We came from hiding in the hills, doing business in the shadows, and losing our livelihoods when the helicopters came calling every harvest season to where we are today.
After the passage of Proposition 64, we eventually left the shadows and stepped into what we thought would be sunlight. We were given rudimentary legal protections, storefronts, and a pathway to leave the black market. After years of persecution for our love of the plant, it was a welcome breath of fresh air.
Unfortunately, that breath of fresh air was extremely short-lived. It became very clear, very fast that we had a long road ahead of us and we would have to fight every step of the way. Between the gross over-taxation, a litany of bad actors, and god-awful lack of legitimate government oversight, legal cannabis has been (for lack of a more accurate term) a complete and total shit show for everybody involved. The proof of that is in the obscene and exponential number of cannabis businesses that have gone belly up since Prop 64 passed.
That’s where Catalyst comes in. Our founder and CEO, Elliot Lewis, wanted to be a part of the solution. He created a chain of retail locations beginning in 2020 with the opening of the Catalyst Long Beach location. Catalyst now boasts 29 locations with more than 500 employees in the four years since its inception. In an extremely cutthroat market with little to no marketing options, the secret ingredient to Catalyst’s success has been the blend of entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to what Elliot sees as the core values of the cannabis community: authenticity, accessibility, quality product for consumers and fair treatment for workers.
Weed For The People means we do things the right way. We treat our employees and customers with the respect they deserve. We go out of our way to ensure the products stocked on our shelves are safe. We speak out against everything that’s wrong with legal cannabis and we speak loudly. You need to look no further than Elliot Lewis' Instagram page for evidence of this.
Lewis spearheaded the Cat 4 movement which incentivized brands to voluntarily submit their product to more expansive testing than the state requires when it became clear that bad actors were using pesticides on their products that California labs did not routinely test for. He has waged an online campaign against the Department of Cannabis Control on behalf of every company in the space which has been negatively impacted by their poor oversight of the industry. He’s gone up against the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union for insufficient advocacy on behalf of cannabis workers. He has drawn attention to numerous examples of predatory business tactics, taken brands off the shelves that put consumers in harm’s way, and used his platform to showcase people and brands doing things the right way through the Catalyst podcast, blog and social media channels.
That’s what Catalyst is all about. We run towards the fire, not away from it. We’ve managed to expand in a remarkably short amount of time and remain successful in a market that bankrupts people every other day because we are here to serve the people and always try to do the right thing. Most importantly, and what sets us apart from a majority of other retailers is we are staffed and run by actual smokers.
We know what quality is and we bring it to our shelves in the form of the best brands in California cannabis. Alien Labs, 710 Labs, CAM, Fig Farms, Doja Pak, the list goes on and on. You won’t find any other retailers who understand quality like we do. We also understand our customers. We know that not everybody is looking for the best, most expensive smoke available. Our budtenders understand that. They know how to find you the best product for the money you want to spend and the best part is, at Catalyst, you can rest easy knowing that the products you buy are clean and safe to consume.
Selling weed shouldn’t be complicated, and we do it well because we come from the legacy market. We remember the days when your bud came in a ziploc and we stuck around this long because we love what we do. We love the cannabis plant and we love the community built around it which is why we suit up and show up every day no matter what obstacles we face. Your Catalyst family is here to stay and waiting diligently at 29 different locations to help you discover a whole new love for the cannabis plant. Weed for the People!
