Catalyst Cannabis is a California dispensary chain using the slogan “Weed for the People.” Its stores pair tax-inclusive shelf pricing with broad multi-brand menus, local events and retail education. The operating lineage begins with stores active under Connected branding in 2017, followed by a corporate spin-off in 2019 and adoption of the Catalyst name in mid-2020. Elliot Lewis is the chief executive and the company's most visible public advocate.
Origins and ownership
A Los Angeles County report names Elliot Lewis, Anna Lewis, Damian Martin and Timothy Lewis as founders of the Catalyst business. Current company policies identify South Cord Holdings LLC, doing business as Catalyst Cannabis Co., as the website operator. The historical four-founder account and the ownership of a particular store applicant are different questions, so neither should be used to infer the full ownership of every licensed location.
Where it operates
Catalyst is primarily a dispensary operator. Its menus cover flower, pre-rolls, concentrates, vapes, edibles, beverages, tinctures and topicals from more than one hundred brands. Catalyst-associated names include Catalyst, CAT4, Delta Whip and MJUICE, but a store also carries products made by independent licensees. Each package identifies the producer responsible for that item.
The chain spans Southern, Central and Northern California, with locations in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, Orange County, the Inland Empire, San Diego County, the Central Coast and the Bay Area. Hawthorne includes a separately scheduled licensed consumption lounge. Store hours, lounge sessions, menus and license numbers vary by address and should be checked on the individual location page before visiting.
Tax-inclusive pricing means the shelf display is designed to include applicable cannabis taxes, while promotions and menu prices can still vary by store. Adults can choose a location, check its hours and live menu, and compare the physical label for producer, ingredients, net weight, cannabinoids, batch and warnings.
Related California dispensary profiles include Caliva, NUG, STIIIZY and Cookies.
Recent activity
Catalyst took over the former Planet 13 Santa Ana superstore in February 2026 after Planet 13 exited California. The site is roughly 55,000 square feet and represents a specific retail expansion, not a new manufacturing license for every brand on the shelves. Current store totals can change as openings, acquisitions and licensing actions occur, so the live location directory is more useful than an older boilerplate count.
Production
CAT4 is Catalyst's expanded pesticide-screening program and also appears in associated product branding. Catalyst says the sticker indicates that a product passed its broader panel. That program is additional retailer screening, not a replacement for California's required compliance test, and it does not establish the status of a product without the sticker. Consumers can match a package and batch to any testing information supplied at the store.
Culture and collaborations
Lewis has used the retail platform in public disputes over testing and California's Metrc track-and-trace system. In August 2026, a court directed state regulators to address failures in that system in litigation brought by an Elliot Lewis-owned company.
Brand focus
From Long Beach, CA, Catalyst Cannabis organizes its retail business around california dispensary, dispensary chain and consumption lounge. california dispensary anchors the customer experience, while dispensary chain and consumption lounge connects the local menu to the wider operating market.