UPDATE 5/27/19 – AB 1465 has stalled in the Assembly appropriations committee for the year, after an incomplete analysis by committee staff looked only at the cost to produce a new license, instead of also examining potential revenues that could be generated by the bill. We hope to see it reintroduced next year.
SACRAMENTO, Apr 23 – A bill to create a new state license type for cannabis consumption café/lounges was approved by the Assembly Business and Professions Committee. The bill, AB 1465 by Asm. Bloom (Santa Monica) would finally let California have public cannabis coffee shops as in Amsterdam.
Under current law, the only public places where it is legal to consume cannabis publicly are licensed dispensaries with on-site consumption permits; however, these facilities cannot serve non-cannabis products. Under AB 1465, cannabis cafes and lounges could be permitted by local governments to serve and sell food, beverages, cannabis, and other products except alcohol and tobacco. The bill is sponsored by the City of West Hollywood.
AB 1465 needs a 2/3 vote for final approval. It passed out of committee on a 12-6 vote with 2 abstentions, one vote shy of the 2/3 it will need on the floor. Every Democratic vote will be needed assuming Republicans all oppose. One Democrat, Jacqui Irwin (Thousand Oaks) voted no, and another abstained, Tim Grayson (Concord).
AB 1465 is one of the bills we will be focusing on at our upcoming Lobby Day on Monday, May 6 in Sacramento. Join us as a Citizen Lobbyist!
