California Lawmakers Approve Cannabis Lounges Bill

California lawmakers on Tuesday passed a bill to legalize cannabis consumption lounges in the state. The measure moves next to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who last year vetoed a similar proposal over concerns that consumption lounges “could undermine California’s long-standing smoke-free workplace protections.”  

In a statement last week, Assemblymember Matt Haney (D), who sponsored the consumption lounge bill vetoed by the governor and the one passed this week, said the recent version of the bill includes protections to protect workers from the impacts of secondhand smoke.  

“Lots of people want to enjoy legal cannabis in the company of others. And many people want to do that while sipping coffee, eating a scone, or listening to music. There’s absolutely no good reason from an economic, health or safety standpoint that the state should make that illegal. If an authorized cannabis retail store wants to also sell a cup of coffee and a sandwich, we should allow cities to make that possible and stop holding back these small businesses.” — Haney in a press release 

The version of the bill heading to the governor’s desk would also allow consumption lounges to serve fresh food as opposed to just pre-packaged food or food received from delivery services, according to Sen. Ben Allen (D), the bill’s co-author.  

“Indeed, I’m glad that several safety provisions were recently added to the bill to better protect both workers and patrons,” Allen said in a statement. 

Several municipalities in the state already allow cannabis consumption lounges, including Cathedral City, Coalinga, Coachella, Cotati, Emeryville, Eureka, Lemoore, Lompoc, National City, Needles, Oakland, Ojai, Palm Springs, Port Hueneme, Sacramento, San Francisco, South Lake Tahoe, Ukiah, Weed, and West Hollywood.