Californians can now check legal pot dealers using QR codes

(AP) California marijuana users can now use their smartphones to find out if a dispensary is legit.

The Bureau of Cannabis Control announced a program Thursday encouraging licensed cannabis retailers to post QR codes in their store windows. The checkerboard codes can be scanned by a cellphone camera linking the reader to the bureau's online license bureau.

Bureau Chief Lori Ajax says that will help users determine whether their store is carrying products that are “tracked, tests, and legal.”

California has been struggling deal with illegal pot operations, where consumers can avoid taxes that can approach 50% in some communities.