California Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Law Allowing Creation Of Amsterdam-Style ‘Cannabis Cafes’

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-California) signed Assembly Bill 1775 into law, which authorized businesses selling cannabis to also sell non-alcoholic drinks and hot food, otherwise known as a “cannabis cafe,” starting January 1, 2025.

Such cafes are popular throughout the Netherlands and “Cannabis lounges” – dispensaries with an adjacent restaurant or bar – have already cropped up across some California cities.

Despite California’s legalization of recreational cannabis use in 2016, licensed dispensaries are still losing customers to unofficial dealers. State assemblyman Matt Harney, who authorized the bill, explained, “Right now, our small cannabis businesses are struggling to compete against illegal drug sellers that don’t follow the laws or pay taxes…In order to ensure the legal cannabis market can survive and thrive in California, we have to allow them to adapt, innovate and offer products and experiences that customers want.”

The law has received some pushback, however, as health concerns have been raised for people breathing in an excess amount of secondhand smoke. Notably, California was the first US state to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, almost 30 years ago.

According to the American Cancer Society’s advocacy branch, the new law “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.”

Supporters of the law have pointed out that anyone who has concerns about the health risks should merely not frequent the cafes.

While the rest of the country waits patiently for cannabis cafes to be legalized in their respective states, California residents will dream of the day alcoholic drinks will be permitted inside.