Source: AFP
Starting next year, visitors to the western US state of California will be able to smoke cannabis in some restaurants, thanks to a new law allowing “cannabis cafes” similar to those popular in the Netherlands.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday that allows businesses already licensed to sell cannabis to serve hot food and soft drinks.
It will enter into force on 1 January 2025.
California legalized recreational cannabis in 2016, but dispensaries that sell the substance legally remain less popular than the black market.
“Right now, our small cannabis businesses are struggling to compete with illegal drug sellers who don’t follow the law or pay taxes,” said state Rep. Matt Haney, who authored the bill.
“To ensure that the legal cannabis market can survive and thrive in California, we must allow them to adapt, innovate and deliver products and experiences that customers want,” Haney continued.
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Some cities like West Hollywood, near Los Angeles, have been calling for such legislation for years.
The liberal enclave hopes to rival Amsterdam and is already home to “cannabis lounges,” where dispensaries are attached to separate bars or restaurants.
Now, the law will allow any business in the state to follow the same model without falling into a legal gray area.
However, not everyone is in favor of the move.
Public health advocates have expressed concern about the effect smoking cannabis in restaurants can have on lung health.
“Secondhand marijuana smoke has many of the same carcinogenic and toxic chemicals as second-hand smoke,” said a statement from the American Cancer Society’s advocacy division.
The new law “undermines the state’s smoke-free restaurant law and undermines its enforcement, threatening to overturn decades of tough protections for everyone’s right to breathe clean, smoke-free air.”
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California specifically 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 on Monday will include parameters to ensure that workers in cannabis cafes can wear masks to protect themselves and be informed about the dangers of inhaling secondhand cannabis smoke.
Source: AFP
