Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes may soon be able to come to California.
A bill introduced on Monday by Assembly Member Matt Haney would allow weed shops to serve food and coffee, and host live music events.
The bill hopes to help struggling pot businesses diversify in such a saturated market, and emulate the classic cannabis cafes made popular in Amsterdam, where customers can purchase a pastry and coffee alongside their cannabis.
Haney’s office said the 700 cannabis cafes across the Netherlands have attracted over 1.5 million visitors a year, citing a chance for California to turn cannabis consumption into a social experience and tourism draw into empty downtowns.
“Lots of people want to enjoy legal cannabis in the company of others,” said Haney. “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,” Haney said in a statement. “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.”
Cannabis lounges do exist in California – there are 13 in San Francisco – but they are prohibited from serving non-cannabis-infused products. The bill would allow these spaces to function more like wine bars or pubs, though purchasing alcohol would still be barred.
“To be clear, we’re not saying that coffee shops should be allowed to sell cannabis,” Haney said. “We’re saying that cannabis shops should be allowed to sell coffee. It shouldn’t be illegal for an existing cannabis business to move away from only selling marijuana and instead have the opportunity to grow, thrive and create jobs by offering coffee or live jazz.”
Assembly Bill 374 is an attempt to reclaim California as the international capital of pot. Though the state is known as the birthplace of cannabis culture for its early acceptance of medical marijuana, it is still feeling the consequences of taking a pharmaceutical approach to dispensary operation policies. Businesses across the state are having a hard time competing with illegal sellers, which can sell weed for cheaper because they circumvent the state’s tax and permitting policies.
“California’s small cannabis businesses are struggling,” said Haney. “Issues like over-saturation, high taxes, and the thriving black market are hurting cannabis businesses who follow the rules and pay taxes.”
35 comments
The black market is winning, remember when we voted to legalize? What were those revenue projections and how close are the actuals to those projections. Let’s look at that and see how much we get lied to by people writing the ballot details. I’m ok with the coffee.. but music, oh no!!!
It’s a taxation problem. I’m not buying weed from the dispensary when it’s way cheaper to buy from my neighbor. Commercial production is actually very cheap and able to undercut the black market, but California makes it way too expensive and isn’t interested in making it competitive. It makes no sense.
There is always the question “are we better off now than we were before?” voting has consequences. We could follow Oregon and legalize everything “hey look! war on drugs over” (sarcasm) I guess we are going to get what we deserve.
I think we should consider following Oregon. Victimless crimes are immoral. Besides, drug addiction is a symptom of mental health issues anyway. Drugs aren’t actually the issue – they’re only a means of self-medication for addicts (which is only 10% of all drug users). This country is very bad at treating mental health, so here we are with all of our drug and mass shooting issues. We keep going after the symptoms rather than the core problems.
Agreed in principle, though I posit that addicts represent less than 1% of pot smokers (excluding those addicted to alcohol or real drugs).
Maybe they can be a voting precinct too. Keep them high a dumb and vote for the Big Guy.
Dumb idea that will only dumg-down the public more. Don’t give me the “it’s only like a glass of wine” argument. We have numerous acquaintances who have really dumbed down after starting to enduldge.
Funny how theses crazy and destructive ideas are always promoted by democrats. I’m beginning to think they want a zombie base of voters.
Hey Badge….I know many Republicans who indulge regularly.
Good, they need to chill out.
Maybe you mostly know a lot of dumb people?
All while people are still sitting in jail cells for this wonderful plant!
Yeah… and those Opium Poppies too… totally misunderstood wonderful plant.
They should open up some cafes where we can smoke that stuff while the government pays us not to work. Cool !
Bad Plan
VERY BAD PLAN!!!
Did the assemblyman just come back from a trip to the Netherlands, and smoke a little weed while he was there? He must have had an epiphany while he was high, he thinks it’s a great idea to increase drug use among his constituency. Who cares what they are doing in Amsterdam, we do not model ourselves after them, and Amsterdam doesn’t have the Sinaola cartel to compete with.
Reminds me of my parents generation who were told be “authorities” that smoking tobacco was good for your lungs, and big tobacco promoted the use of tobacco through media and legislation.
History repeating itself. In a decade or two the large scale health damage caused by high potency cannabis and vapes will be evident to everyone.
The “high potency” cannabis boogeyman is a specious canard.
The health risks from pot “stem” from inhaling carcinogenic particulates in the smoke. The more potent the flower, the less smoke one needs to inhale to attain the desired effects.
If you want a Camel cigarette though you have to go out of the building and move twenty feet away from the front door.
And next, just like Amsterdam, California will have even more young women kidnapped and trafficked from different countries, forced to dance in the cafe windows to lure men into their back rooms in these shops for sex. California is literally becoming a cesspool of depravity and our politicians just continue to feed the pushers and mentally ill increasing the number of drug addicts, alcoholics, perverts and homeless on our streets.
Do any other Claycordians remember how great things were in our community back in either the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s, before the new Dems took control of this state along with other states who too are now suffering the same depravity and destruction as we currently are?
If not, what a shame! Those times were absikutely wonderful!
LOL! Did you come and hang out at Todos Santos I’m the 90’s? How about when the adult movie theater was there in the 70’s?
Absikutely not in touch with reality.
The “high potency” cannabis boogeyman is a specious canard.
The health risks from pot “stem” from inhaling carcinogenic particulates in the smoke. The more potent the flower, the less smoke one needs to inhale to attain the desired effects.
I’d pass pass on the live jazz, Pink Floyd or Jerry and the Boys…puff puff.
How much money did this idiot get under the table for this one.
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Haney is just as looney as Wiener.
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Haney errantly believes “one-size fits all” legislation from San Francisco via Sacramento is appropriate for all of California.
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I am against legalization of pot and did vote against it (a stoned populace is easier to “manage” than a populace with their sober wits about them). But, as it is now legal, purveyors of this vile weed should be able to sell food to their patrons. Same can be said about many venues that our legislators just love to control. In a more free society, our government nannies would not need to write a bill overrule an existing law to “allow” this. I find it absurd they are writing a bill to permit, a select group to be allowed to actually sell food (the audacity of trying to have a business). We citizens are in thrall to these “representatives.”
How was the populace sober before pot legalization when alcohol was legal?
Anyone surprised?
Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) https://tinyurl.com/2p9ctdn3
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DEMs are so freaking desperate to salvage their massive screw up.
All the fees, taxes and licenses have made “legal” pot more expensive and non competitive with illegal pot.
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Proposition 64 claimed pot law enforcement costs would go down, just the opposite has happened.
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IF this goes thru, person can stop by for edibles and coffee . . . then get back in their car and drive impaired. This is another example of a not thought thru DEM brain fart.
We should embrace this! Let’s support smoking, drug abuse & obesity all rolled into one.
Just drop 3 seeds in your back yard and smoke all you want. It grows itself. Just add water. The social aspect is interesting as stoners don’t really “social”. Wonder who’s thinking this is a great idea.
There are some nice THC bars in the city. Their mixed drinks are usually ice cream floats, or topped with cotton candy, or merengue. It’s a nice treat, if you happen to be by there.
It’d be cool. Who is thinking this is a great idea? Capitalists and the same people whoade it so backyard growers have less stress.
The “capitalists” have been wrong on marijuana the whole time. Sure give them an ice cream float to ease the pain of the 80 dollar black market chinese mafia eighths funneled into legal shops..You can’t regulate a weed and people who pay that incredibly high price are probably still wearing masks on their 5th booster.
Yup Prop 64 really put a dent in illegal pot, results are opposite of what was promised.
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‘Antioch Search Warrants Result in $14.8 Million in Cannabis Product Seized’
https://tinyurl.com/azyy7mdd
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‘Antioch Police Say Operations Result in $7.3 Million of Cannabis Seized’
https://tinyurl.com/mr3nth95
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‘Livermore Police Say Investigation Results in $3 Million in Cannabis Seized’
https://tinyurl.com/43hxu2fn
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CA gave gangs a leg up and a lucritive new source of revenue, pot sales.
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‘The black market strangled California’s legal weed industry. Now it’s coming for New York.’
https://tinyurl.com/4yh4m3nh
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‘$10M cash, 500K marijuana plants seized in Bay Area’s largest-ever bust’
https://tinyurl.com/2p9an86y
Oh, wow, man! Smoke a doobie while sipping on some tea. Yeah, like that’s all we need to add to this world of nonsense problems. Keep dumbing down the generations to control them. After all, when you’re stoned man, you make the best life choices, right?
This could prove troublesome for the contact high wait staff. An eight hour shift would seem like sixteen Going home with the perception of such a long day would be tough to deal with. The only answer naturally would be to smoke some more and watch that clock move real slow….
At least let them sell pickled eggs and peanuts or pretzels like in alcohol bars. For the “country” weed bars maybe some pickled pigs feet with your doobie, nothing better when you have the munchies….wee doggies!
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