Rep. Matt Haney's bill to legalize food and drink sales inside dispensary lounges passed on its second try, and Amsterdam-style cafes and performance venues could be popping up in local pot shops next year.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has been on the legal marijuana industry's shit list for the past week or so. That's because last Monday, Newsom banned hemp products containing THC. Hemp is a non-intoxicating byproduct of cannabis, and people are injecting it with THC to circumvent regulations. (Mr. Cheech and Mr. Chong are suing the state over Newsom's ban because they have invested money in such products.) And this morning, Newsom announced another bill that would allow cannabis sales at farmers markets. He also exercised his veto power.
So expectations weren't as high for a bill introduced by SF's own state representative, Matt Haney, that would allow cannabis cafes inside dispensaries to serve non-infused food and beverages. Haney added protections for nonsmokers to this year's new bill after Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year over concerns about smoke-free workplaces.
These apparently worked. The LA Times reported that Amsterdam-style cannabis coffee shops could be appearing in dispensaries across the state next year after Newsom signed a cannabis cafe bill into law on Monday.
“I am signing Assembly Bill 1775, which would require local governments to require certain cannabis retailers to prepare and sell cannabis-free food and beverages and host live event tickets at licensed facilities. and sales,” Newsom said. Monday's signing statement. Addressing concerns about smoke-free workplaces, Newsom added: “As I stated in my veto message for a similar measure last year, protecting the health and safety of workers is a top priority in preserving California's long-standing smoke-free workplace protections.”
Critics say these workplace smoking bans are just a fig leaf, and they may have a point. These “protections” are simply a requirement that workplaces provide respirators to employees who choose them, require employers to put up some kind of warning signage, and, in the words of the LA Times, ” This plan is required under the California Labor Code, which requires that second-hand smoke be included in the prevention of injury and illness. ”Honestly, what are the chances that many of the employees at a cannabis dispensary are complete non-smokers and don’t even smoke weed? The chances are slim.
And we must emphasize that the sale of alcohol does not take place in pharmacies. The only new options they have here are the ability to sell food and drinks for on-site consumption and the ability to host live events (which many of SF's cannabis smoking lounges already do).
So how does this work? I really don't know. The new law goes into effect on January 1, 2025, but local regulations are really needed for these cannabis cafes to build this kind of thing, and until any city has such regulations in place. It will take several months. Additionally, the law is likely to only allow the sale of food and drinks in pharmacies that already have smoking lounges (which we prefer to call “consumption lounges”). This is because these facilities are already equipped with the additional seating and air filtration infrastructure needed to support smoking. A small “smoking section” restaurant.
And will dispensaries be willing to invest in kitchen equipment, walk-in coolers, and all the other hardware needed to serve hot food and drinks? Legal retail cannabis is already experiencing a “green rush” in the early days of legalization. It has become an industry with lower profit margins than expected at the time.
So this idea that a cup of coffee and a frittata sandwich will somehow solve the problems of the financially strapped legal cannabis industry has led some industry proponents to push their supply a little higher. This may be another example.
RELATED: Matt Haney stands up for legalizing cannabis cafes in California (SFist)
Image: Pariwat Pannium via Unsplash
