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East LA Preps For First Medical Marijuana Farmers Market

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — East Los Angeles is getting ready for its first medical marijuana farmers market.

The California Heritage Market will take place July 4-6 at West Coast Collective on Esperanza Street.

Executive Administrator Paizley Bradbury said the market will be open to card-carrying cannabis patients who will get the chance to meet growers, educate themselves and get better prices by cutting out the middleman.

"People are really excited about it," Bradbury said. "Very few patients have the opportunity to discuss with the growers that are providing the medicine ... what kind of medicine, how they grew it, do they have pesticides?"

The event will feature up to 50 vendors, including glass blowers, edibles and even author Michael Green, who wrote the book "Modern Marijuana Living: Lighting the Way to a Healthy Lifestyle."

"It's a great concept. I think by opening up the market just to the public in general to come and see and learn a little bit more about how the medicine is grown," Green said.

Organizers hope to make the market a weekly event.

While they had their attorney ensure they were complying with city laws, they admit that when it comes to weed, there are no guarantees they won't be shut down.

"I think there's gonna be criticism around the whole marijuana industry for a very long time. I think that through educating people and just really putting it out there, that's gonna help more than anything. Keeping it underground is just going to let the stigma grow," Bradbury said.

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