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US: California Legalizes Cannabis Cafes Amid Hemp THC Ban

Dario Sabaghi

Forbes

Tuesday 01 Oct 2024

California municipalities can allow cannabis businesses to open cafes where patrons can consume cannabis on-site while also being served non-cannabis-infused food and beverages.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1775 into law yesterday, allowing specific cannabis retailers to prepare and sell non-cannabis food and beverages, as well as host live events and sell tickets at their licensed locations, similar to coffee shops in Amsterdam.

The new legislation allows licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses in California to sell non-cannabis food and beverages and host live performances in areas designated for on-site cannabis consumption, pending local approval. It prohibits the sale of products containing industrial hemp and restricts cannabis use to those 21 and over, with proper ventilation required. Modeled after Amsterdam’s cannabis cafes, the initiative aims to help cannabis businesses diversify and compete by expanding their offerings.

Previously, California’s legal marijuana outlets couldn’t sell food and beverages. The new bill will take effect next year.

Gov. Newsom vetoed a previous version of the bill last year over concerns about smoke-free workplace protections. He encouraged the author of the bill, Assemblyman Matt Haney, Democrat of San Francisco, to revise it. The version signed Monday includes a provision ensuring employees are informed about the risks of secondhand smoke and allowed to wear masks.

However, critics expressed concern that the legislation could normalize public smoking and benefit the tobacco industry. For example, Jim Knox, managing director of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), voiced strong disappointment with the decision.

“As the nation’s leading cancer patient advocacy organization, ACS CAN is deeply disappointed that the California Legislature and Gov. Newsom prioritized the marihuana industry’s interests over public health. AB 1775 violates Proposition 64, which explicitly states that smoking marijuana is prohibited wherever smoking tobacco is prohibited. It also undermines the state’s smoke-free restaurants law and compromises its enforcement, thus threatening to roll back decades of hard-won protections of everyone’s right to breathe clean, smoke-free air,” he said in a press statement.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dariosabaghi/2024/10/01/california-legalizes-cannabis-cafes-amid-hemp-thc-ban/

 

 

 

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