SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Imagine a brunch with your friends where you can order marijuana on the side.
While cannabis lounges are relatively new, the first one in the country, Lowell Farms Cafe, opened in West Hollywood in 2019.
Now, the city of Sacramento is considering allowing dispensaries to branch into the market. It's one idea out of a sweeping set of proposals to overhaul the city's cannabis business landscape. It's set for a committee discussion on Tuesday.
"Just like on a Friday night, you want to go have a cocktail with your significant other, your friends - the same thing should be allowed for cannabis," said Maisha Bahati, the owner of Crystal Nugs, Sacramento's first Black and women-owned cannabis delivery service.
She's all in for the idea.
"It's illegal to smoke really anywhere except your house," Bahati said. "There are a lot of people who can't smoke at home, so having a place where you can safely consume? That's something that's attractive to a lot of people."
In downtown Sacramento, there was no shortage of people who supported the idea.
"It's about time, right? Certain European countries do it, so why not?" said Matongo Haamanaklui.
"Everybody knows it's legal. Everybody know that it's used for medicinal purposes, so everybody should be comfortable with that," Tony Mosbe added.
For Clarence Laston, it begged the question "why have something legal with no place to comfortably smoke it?"
"If you can smoke in lounges and have a cigar, you should be able to have a THC lounge," he said.
New state laws allow local jurisdictions to permit cannabis retailers to also prepare and sell non-pot food and beverages. The city's office of cannabis management is recommending city leaders jump on the opportunity to attract tourism and support economic growth.
In a prepared document, the department wrote:
"The integration of consumption lounges into the City has the potential to significantly increase opportunities for entry into the industry as license holders could partner with existing restaurants and create shared facilities with minimal up-front capital."
Bahati said it's a chance for the city to back up its commitment to social equity. She was one of 10 Cannabis Opportunity Reinvestment and Equity (CORE) recipients awarded a dispensary permit in addition to the city's existing 30 storefronts. The CORE Program is a program created to assist individuals and communities who are facing barriers to starting cannabis businesses due to the historical disparate enforcement of cannabis crimes.
"With 30 existing dispensaries, it's already going to be hard to compete, so being able to attach something that is going to be new to consumers is really going to give us (CORE recipients) an opportunity to solidify ourselves and kind of build something," Bahati said.
She said she's heard opposing arguments, such as the lack of a breathalyzer equivalent to determine how impaired a person may be from weed, but Bahati believes existing and new measures can ensure safe, secure and responsible use.
A cannabis consumption lounge license in the state comes with several age and operation restrictions including prohibiting the sale of alcohol and tobacco.
If approved, Sacramento's cannabis management office recommends the city require lounges develop training for its staff on best medical practices, monitor consumption via cameras and staff check-ins, set time limits for customers and offer ride-sharing or public transit passes.
The 4-person Law and Legislation committee meets Tuesday, May 10 at 11a.m. The city council could vote on the matter on May 24.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to note Crystal Nugs is the city's first Black and women-owned cannabis delivery service. An original version of this story only listed the business as Black-owned.
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