The California Senate approved legislation Sept. 7 that would create cannabis cafes in the state.
Assembly Bill 374, introduced in February by Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, passed the Assembly in a 64-9 vote in June. The bill, which cleared the Senate Thursday in a 33-3 vote, now heads back to the Assembly for a concurrence vote before it potentially lands on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
RELATED: California Lawmaker Proposes Cafe-Style Cannabis Consumption Lounges
“My bill, AB 374, to allow for Cannabis Cafes in California just passed out of the Senate 33-3!” Haney tweeted Thursday. “Strong bipartisan support. A quick concurrence vote in the Assembly soon and then on to the Governor!”
The legislation would authorize local governments to allow small cannabis retailers to “diversify their businesses with food and nonalcoholic drinks,” Haney said.
A.B. 374 would also allow these cannabis businesses to host live music and other performances, according to a press release from Haney’s office.
Haney cited the roughly 700 cannabis cafes across the Netherlands, which attract 1.5 million tourists per year, as the inspiration behind his legislation.
"Lots of people want to enjoy legal cannabis in the company of others, and many people want to do that while sipping coffee, eating a scone or listening to music,” Haney said in a public statement. “There’s absolutely no good reason from an economic, health or safety standpoint that the state should make that illegal. 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.”
