Gov. Newsom Is Mulling Over Whether To Approve Amsterdam-Style Cannabis Cafes In California

California governor Gavin Newsom (D) has been repeatedly urged over the past couple of weeks to give the green light to two measures seeking to establish cannabis farmers’ markets and legalize cannabis cafes.

In August, the California legislature advanced a bill to allow cannabis cultivators to sell their products directly to consumers, as well as legislation that would enable cannabis lounges to serve food and host ticketed events.

Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for the governor, is impartial on this issue, even though efforts aim to bolster California’s struggling legal cannabis market, which has been undercut by the black market for years. She told SFGATE in an email statement Gov. Newsom "will evaluate the bills on their merits."

If he eventually agrees to act favorably on the pot farmers market bill, mall-scale farmers would be allowed to sell cannabis at the markets but only in places like San Francisco where cannabis events are allowed by local governments.

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That said, the California State Fair at Cal Expo has pioneering on-site cannabis sales and consumption this year, for the first time in its 170-year history.

Read Also: California’s $100M Cannabis Grant Program To Help New Businesses Was Mismanaged, Audit Reveals

As for a bill to legalize Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes which was introduced by Assembly member Matt Haney (D) earlier this year, Newsom vetoed a similar measure last October, citing concerns about workplace safety. Haney has since amended the current bill to address these concerns.

During last week's press conference Haney said cannabis lounges are present across the state emphasizing "they're being prohibited—in an arbitrary, misguided way—from being able to serve any food or non-alcoholic beverages," reported Marijuana Moment.

"The governor recently said that the future happens here first. He was talking about California. Well, this is the future," the lawmaker said. "This is the future when it comes to adult-use cannabis. It's the future when it comes to supporting our cannabis small businesses and their ability to thrive. It's the future when it comes to California's tourism."

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