California Could See Cannabis Coffeeshops on the Beach

As with California adults who want to grow their own marijuana, the luck of Californians who want a convenient place to consume it varies from place to place.

For adults in conservative jurisdictions who live close to a school, for example, the legal landscape will look a whole lot like prohibition from the vantage of their bedroom closet, blinds drawn, and smoke filtered through a tube of toilet paper with a napkin of fabric softener wrapped over one end. But the really lucky ones will hit the legalization jackpot.

While Prop. 64 generally restricts the smoking of cannabis to the home and away from schools and youth centers, it leaves open space for local governments, if they so choose, to license businesses for on-site consumption. This means that Amsterdam-style “coffeeshops” are coming to California!

They will only be permitted in cities that vote to allow them, and you can expect all kinds of regulations that will dictate air filtration, careful separation of the smoking room from areas visible (or smellable) by the public, and forbidding businesses with liquor licenses (e.g., bars) from selling pot too. But this is still a big deal — soon, some lucky Californians will have a choice of inviting their friends out to the hash bar instead of yet another night out drinking alcohol. When the first coffeeshop opens its doors on the California beach, it will finally feel like real legalization.

Excerpted from “New Rules: California’s Marijuana Laws Explained” by Jeremy Daw. Daw is the author of “Weed the People: From Founding Fiber to Forbidden Fruit” and the co-author of “The Newbies Guide to Cannabis and the Industry.” His newest book, which features an introduction from best-selling author Ed Rosenthal, is designed to provide a critical overview of the new cannabis laws in California.

Originally published in Issue 29 of Cannabis Now. LEARN MORE

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