SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A pilot program to allow cannabis lounges in Sacramento faces its final hurdle Tuesday in the Sacramento City Council.
The pilot program would add two types of consumption lounges. The first would allow dispensaries to sell cannabis-infused drinks and edibles. The second type would enable people also to smoke cannabis onsite.
Both sites could also offer pre-packaged, non-cannabis-infused food and drinks.
The council has worked on the proposal for the last two years, overseen by Councilmember Katie Valenzuela. She spoke with ABC10 last month about what the lounges would mean to the city.
“This is a reason that people would come to Sacramento because they want to try this out because they want to see how it works because they're curious about what it would be like to be in a community setting where they’re using their cannabis products,” Valenzuela said.
Not every councilmember is on board with the lounges. Councilmember Eric Guerra has been vocal about his concerns over the negative impacts of cannabis use.
“Let us not send the wrong signal, let us make sure we do not normalize smoking,” Guerra said at a press conference Monday. “...Let’s look at public health over profit.”
The city council held a presentation in October to go over the health impacts of cannabis. After the presentation, provisions were added to the proposal to require warning signs of the health effects of inhaling cannabis.
For the consumption lounges allowing smoking, the proposal has several health standard requirements, including having negative pressure HVAC systems and odor absorbing ventilation so no cannabis odor is detected outside the lounge itself.
The pilot program would last for five years. If it’s passed by the council, dispensaries would need to take several steps before they could offer onsite consumption.
Mainly, a consumption lounge operation plan would need to be developed by dispensaries to meet certain thresholds established by the council over employee schedules and training.
Dispensaries would also be required to have a plan in place to prevent people from driving under the influence after consuming cannabis.
The city would also need to lead an awareness campaign highlighting the safe use of marijuana, including a harm reduction plan for young people.
The council is set to vote on the proposal at their 2 p.m. meeting Tuesday.
