Starting next year, restaurant patrons in the western US state of California will be able to smoke cannabis in certain restaurants, thanks to a new law allowing the establishment of “cannabis cafes” similar to those spread in the Netherlands.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Monday allowing businesses already licensed to sell cannabis to serve hot foods and non-alcoholic beverages.
It will enter into force on January 1, 2025.
California legalized recreational cannabis in 2016, but dispensaries that sell the substance legally are still less popular than the black market.
“Right now, our small cannabis businesses are struggling to compete against illegal drug sellers who don’t follow the law or pay taxes,” said State Assemblyman Matt Haney, who authored the bill.
“In order to ensure the legal cannabis market survives and thrives in California, we have to allow them to adapt, innovate and deliver the products and experiences customers want,” Haney continued.
Some cities, such as West Hollywood, near Los Angeles, have been pushing for such legislation for years.
The liberal enclave hopes to compete with Amsterdam and already hosts “cannabis lounges,” where dispensaries are linked to separate bars or restaurants.
Now, the law will allow any company in the state to follow the same model without falling into a legal gray area.
However, not everyone supports this move.
Public health advocates have expressed concern about the impact of smoking cannabis in restaurants on lung health.
“Secondhand marijuana smoke contains many of the carcinogens and toxic chemicals found in secondhand tobacco smoke,” a statement from the American Cancer Society’s advocacy arm said.
The new law “undermines the state’s smoke-free restaurant law and weakens its enforcement, thereby threatening to roll back decades of hard-won protections for every person’s right to breathe clean, smoke-free air.”
California banned smoking in bars and restaurants nearly 30 years ago, the first US state to do so.
Newsom had vetoed a different version of the bill last year, citing health concerns.
However, the new version of the law signed Monday will include standards to ensure employees at cannabis cafes are able to wear masks to protect themselves and be informed of the dangers of inhaling secondhand cannabis smoke.
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