Here Come the Cannabis Cafés
Four states open the door to on-site consumption in pot shops, while Denver will let people bring their own marijuana to use in specially licensed businesses.
As four more states legalized marijuana this week, Denver voters took the considerably less dramatic step of authorizing a pilot program that will allow cannabis consumption in specially licensed businesses. Under Initiative 300, which was favored by 54 percent of voters on Tuesday, a business that wants to let customers bring their own marijuana and enjoy it on the premises can establish a "designated consumption area" with the consent of "an eligible neighborhood organization" and a permit from the city. That may sound boring, but it addresses a problem that has bedeviled Colorado residents and visitors from other states since legal recreational sales began in 2014: Where are they allowed to consume the cannabis they are now allowed to buy?
So far Denver's answer has been that marijuana use is allowed in private residences but not in private businesses, a policy that pushes cannabis consumers into the streets and parks. But marijuana use is not allowed there either, which helps explain why tickets for public consumption have sextupled in Denver since legalization. That is not a tenable situation for a drug that is supposed to be "regulated in a manner similar to alcohol," which people are free to consume in a wide variety of settings outside their homes.
The four marijuana legalization initiatives that passed this week address the consumption question in a couple of different ways. Three make provision for more discreet versions of Amsterdam's famous (but technically illegal) cannabis cafés, while the fourth passes the issue to the state legislature.
The Massachusetts initiative, Measure 4, allows consumption of cannabis products on the premises of businesses that sell them, subject to regulation by the state and approval by local voters. California's initiative, Proposition 64, likewise says "a local jurisdiction may allow for the smoking, vaporizing, and ingesting of marijuana or marijuana products on the premises of a [cannabis] retailer." In addition to regular marijuana stores, where consumption will not be allowed, Maine's Question 1 allows "retail marijuana social clubs" to sell cannabis products specifically for on-site consumption.
Nevada's Question 2 is more tentative. It makes consuming cannabis in a marijuana store, "a public place," or a moving vehicle a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $600. The initiative defines "a public place" as "an area to which the public is invited or in which the public is permitted regardless of age," which leaves the door open to age-restricted establishments (other than marijuana stores) that could allow cannabis consumption on their premises. Question 2 also says "the legislature may amend provisions of this act to provide for the conditions in which a locality may permit consumption of marijuana in a retail marijuana store."
Reason TV covers Colorado's cannabis consumption conundrum:
Addendum: This post has been updated with the final election results.
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“Nevada’s Question 2 is more tentative. It makes consuming cannabis in a marijuana store, “a public place,” or a moving vehicle a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $600. The initiative defines “a public place” as “an area to which the public is invited or in which the public is permitted regardless of age,” which leaves the door open to age-restricted establishments (other than marijuana stores) that could allow cannabis consumption on their premises.”
EDC might be more stoney and less trippy in the future.
. . . might give a whole new meaning to the term “burning man”.
I’m bullish on Bob Marley downloads!
I never thought I’d live to see this happen. We’ve accomplished so much–without any direct representation, just through persuasion.
And if we could trace the consequences of that persuasion all the way back to their sources, I’m sure we’d find that the great work of people like Sullum had a whole lot to do with it.
The great work has some to do with it. A whole lot? I’m not sure about that.
The primary driver of all this has been the popularity of cannabis. And that popularity was kicked off by, AFAIK, 2 cultural features: 1st jazz, then youth “counter”-culture. It was just a matter of time before marijuana smoking became acceptable thru exposure to other people doing it. Took some generations, its pace was unsteady & certainly couldn’t be predicted, but the overall trend was inevitable. The “great work” has been to accelerate that pace from time to time.
This process would be hard to project into other substances, or into certain other activities. Cannabis became popular because it felt enjoyable in a way similar to booze or even to drowsiness, which people had experience with, and because it was so safe. People on pot didn’t act particularly anti-socially or weird either, which helped a lot; even a small minority’s simply acting strangely in public as a result of cannabis consumption would probably have precluded acceptance.
My best friend’s sister makes $95 an hour on the internet.. She has been out of a job for six months but last month her check was $14750 just working on the internet for a few hours. Go this website and click tech tab to start your work… http://tinyurl.com/z9cxh6t
The legality of marijuana consumption depends on the support of people who don’t consume it and want to keep it away from their children.
Weed and casinos. Doesn’t the house already have a big enough advantage?
Serious question: When can I legally buy weed in California? Without a medical mj prescription.
The correct answer is January of 2018.
http://www.sandiegouniontribun…..story.html
Watch the video.
You have to wait for the new regulatory and tax framework to take effect, and that isn’t supposed to happen until January of 2018.
Thanks bro.
Authoritarians freak out……….
Mass. official wants to extend the deadline to open pot shops
Just a day after voters legalized marijuana for recreational use, Massachusetts’ top regulator called on the Legislature to extend the deadline for opening retail shops beyond the January 2018 target date so she has time to build an effective oversight force.
Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg also said Wednesday lawmakers should hike the 3.75 percent tax on marijuana sales included in the new law so there will be enough money to police the industry and have some cash left over. And Goldberg wants legislators to ax a provision allowing people to grow up to 12 marijuana plants per household, which she believes could gut the retail market and be detrimental to public health and safety.
http://tinyurl.com/ht36ck4
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Taxing and regulating a plant is a very bad idea. These assclowns will constantly be raising the tax and changing their fucking regulations.