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 onsite, to order food, and to 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 Los Angeles Times reported Thursday:
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.”
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Newsom vetoed a nearly identical version of the cannabis cafe bill last year, saying he was concerned about the potential effect on California’s “longstanding smoke-free workplace protections.”
New amendments added in the Senate this month seem aimed at addressing Newsom’s concerns, including 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.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.