Alexi* is a slim 25-year-old with brunette hair and a flawless, manicure. In a typical workday, she spends eight hours driving around greater L.A. delivering medical grade marijuana. Alexiamp;rsquo;s three-month-old business, Dope Girls LA, is a female owned and operated marijuana delivery service. Alexi wants to change the way women fit into the industry, both as customers and entrepreneurs. amp;ldquo;A lot of girls smoke,amp;rdquo; she says, and yet, amp;ldquo;more guys are still paying for it or ordering it. Girls love the bud, donamp;rsquo;t get me wrong, but they seem to let men buy it for them more. amp;ldquo; The Dope Girls LA brand is made up of pretty ladies who are also weed experts. amp;ldquo;At shops, they hire a cute girl who doesnamp;rsquo;t know anything about the strains,amp;rdquo; Alexi says. amp;ldquo;Weamp;rsquo;re not just like, Uh, hereamp;rsquo;s some weed, look at my boobs,amp;rdquo; she continues, slipping into Valley Girl speak. amp;ldquo;Weamp;rsquo;re pretty, and that helps, but weamp;rsquo;re all about knowing the business.amp;rdquo; Alexi and Vicky (her best friend and employee) make deliveries, meet with suppliers and growers, and maintain their web presence. Branding is everything. This month, a conservative figure based on tax filings put the number of pot shops in L.A. at 450, but other estimates are much higher. DGLA has the shiny bait of being owned and run by women, but beyond that, Alexi works hard to set them apart. Besides just delivering weed to a cross section of L.A.amp;rsquo;s card holding pot smokers, she tries to bring a sense of style along with their 27 strains of bud. The company Instagram is a carefully curated selection of amp;ldquo;high fashionamp;rdquo; weed photography, artful nudity and bongs, edgy women with their faces obscured by smoke and bongs. Alexi designed a marijuana leaf jewelry line that they offer on the site. Perfectly rolled joints go in woven hemp bags along with a free edible and some flavored rolling paper. Itamp;rsquo;s about the details. - *Name has been changed
