It’s official: Cannabis businesses in California will be allowed to sell food and non-alcoholic beverages on premise. They will also be permitted to host live events. The new legislation, signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom, effectively allows business owners to operate Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes across the state.
While weed-focused lounges have been legally operating in West Hollywood for some time, until now patrons have had to purchase food from one section of the business and bring it into the smoking-designated spaces. These prior regulations hindered smoking lounges by limiting potential revenue streams and complicating their business plans, especially in light of the hefty taxes placed on cannabis shops and the competition by illegal sellers.
“The illicit illegal market is continuing to grow and thrive, while our legal cannabis market is struggling,” said assembly member Matt Haney, who wrote the bill, during a debate earlier this year.
This is the second iteration of the law that landed in front of Newsom, and this one specifically boasts a new provision that requires the would-be cafes to tell employees about the hazards of secondhand smoke while allowing them to wear masks.
California has the higher number of cannabis consumers in the country, according to the New York Times, which also noted that the existing lounges in West Hollywood have already earned it the title of “the Amsterdam of the Far West.”
The law will technically go into effect on January 1, 2025, and we have no doubt that we’ll see plenty of new businesses pop up, offering Angelenos the chance to smoke, eat and be merry together.