California State Legislature Passes Bill for Onsite Consumption at Cannabis Dispensaries.
The California state legislature has passed a bill that would allow cannabis dispensaries to operate like marijuana cafés in Amsterdam, allowing patrons to consume the product on-site, order food, and socialize with other customers. The bill is supported by the legal marijuana industry as part of an effort to help struggling licensed distributors compete with the illegal marijuana market, which has persisted despite the legalization of cannabis in the state.
The bill is sponsored by the California Nightlife Assn. and California NORML, a chapter of the national organization that lobbies for changes to cannabis laws. The groups have argued that California’s current dispensary policies have “replaced the social aspect of the Amsterdam cannabis scene with pharmacy-like businesses that only allow customers to order cannabis at a counter, purchase nothing else, and then leave.
Newsom vetoed a nearly identical version of the cannabis café bill last year, expressing concerns about the potential impact on California’s “longstanding smoke-free workplace protections.” However, new amendments added in the Senate this month seem aimed at addressing Newsom’s concerns. These amendments include clarifying that if cities choose to impose ventilation standards, the systems must be powerful enough to prevent “smoke and odors from migrating to any other part of the building hosting the consumption lounge or any neighboring building or grounds.
The bill, AB 1775, proposed by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), would also allow dispensaries “to sell tickets for live musical or other performances on the premises of a licensed retailer or microbusiness in the area where the consumption of cannabis is allowed.
It is not yet clear whether Governor Gavin Newsom will sign the bill. He must decide on a host of other bills as well, such as a bill to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), and one that would allow illegal aliens to become eligible for up to $150,000 in home loans from the state for first-time buyers.