Gavin Newsom signs bill permitting California cannabis cafes to serve food and drinks

Could California soon have its very own Amsterdam?

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed Assembly Bill 1775 into law, giving local jurisdictions the go-ahead to begin permitting “cannabis cafes” to serve non-cannabis-infused food and drinks to patrons consuming cannabis on-site.

Newsom in 2023 vetoed a similar bill, citing concerns with the health and safety of cafe workers and the importance of maintaining a smoke-free workplace.

“I commend the author (Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco) for incorporating additional safeguards, such as expressly protecting employees’ discretion to wear a mask for respiration, paid for at the expense of the employer, and requiring employees to receive additional guidance on the risks of secondhand cannabis smoke,” Newsom wrote in his signing statement.

The governor warned that future legislation that goes against that “tailored approach” would “not be looked upon favorably.”

“Furthermore, it is critical that local governments utilize this delegated authority responsibly by prioritizing worker safety and implementing stringent safeguards that minimize public health risks when authorizing these activities,” Newsom said.

The governor warned that failure to implement those safeguards may lead to “reconsideration of this limited expansion.”

Despite Newsom’s strong warnings about safeguarding public health, his signing was condemned by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, whose managing director, Jim Knox, who in a statement expressed deep disappointment with the decision.

“AB 1775 violates Proposition 64 (the 2016 California ballot measure that legalized recreational marijuana in the state), which explicitly states that smoking marijuana is prohibited wherever smoking tobacco is prohibited,” Knox said. “It also 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.”

Haney said that in a statement that “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. 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,” the lawmaker said.

Newsom’s signing was hailed by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Western States Council, with UFCW Local 324 Secretary-Treasurer Matt Bell saying in a statement that the new law will help bolster the state’s consumption lounges.

“By allowing cannabis businesses to branch out in a limited capacity, we can strengthen California’s legal cannabis industry in the face of high taxation, restrictive regulations, and harsh competition from the illicit cannabis market. Legal cannabis businesses have been disadvantaged compared to bars, clubs and other venues that can serve alcohol, not to mention illegal gatherings serving cannabis,” he said.