Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Monday 19 March 2018

San Francisco embraces Amsterdam-style marijuana lounges

By PAUL ELIAS states to broadly legalize,
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — lawmakers failed in a close
The smoke was thick and vote to make so-called
business brisk at the Bar- "tasting rooms" legal. How-
bary Coast Dispensary's ever, cities may do it, and
marijuana smoking lounge, Denver has authorized
a darkened room that re- lounges where consumers
sembles a steakhouse or bring their own marijuana,
upscale sports tavern with issuing a single permit so
its red leather seats, deep far.
booths with high dividers, Nevada has put off a vote
and hardwood floors. on the issue until next year,
"There's nothing like this in while lawmakers in Alaska
Jersey," said grinning At- and Oregon have consid-
lantic City resident Rick ered and rejected legisla-
Thompson, getting high tion.
with his cousins in San Fran- San Francisco has allowed
cisco. medical marijuana patients
In fact, there's nothing like to smoke in dispensaries for
the Barbary Coast lounge years, though there was
almost anywhere in the uncertainty over whether
United States, a conun- the practice was autho-
drum confronting many rized when California voters
marijuana enthusiasts who In this March 1, 2018 photo, visitors sit in booths in the marijuana smoking room at Barbary Coast in 1996 made the state the
find it increasingly easy to Dispensary in San Francisco. first in the nation to legalize
buy pot but harder to find Associated Press cannabis use with a doc-
legal places to smoke it. tor's recommendation.
Only California permits The Barbary Coast, which
marijuana smoking at mari- received its state license
juana retailers with special- in January, first opened as
ly designed lounges. But a small medical dispensary
it also allows cities to ban in 2013. It expanded and
those kinds of shops. opened its smoking lounge
Unsurprisingly, San Francis- to medical users last year.
co is the trailblazer. It's the On Jan. 11, the shop
only city in the state to fully opened to all adults when
embrace Amsterdam-like it received its California rec-
coffee shops, the iconic reational use license. The
tourist stops in the Nether- state started issuing those
lands where people can on Jan. 1 and continues to
buy and smoke marijuana approve dozens of appli-
in the same shop. cations a month since vot-
San Francisco's marijuana ers broadly legalized the
"czar" Nicole Elliot said new use and sale of marijuana.
permits will be issued once Thompson traveled from
city health officials final- Atlantic City to celebrate
ize regulations designed to his 27th birthday with his
protect workers from sec- cousins, who live in Oak-
ondhand smoke and the land. They decided to cel-
neighborhood from unwel- In this March 1, 2018 photo, Rick Thompson, clockwise from bottom left, Keith Baskerville and ebrate in style, getting as
comed odors. The lounges Xavier Baskerville smoke marijuana while sitting in a booth in the smoking lounge at Barbary high as they could in San
are required to install ex- Coast Dispensary in San Francisco. Francisco.
pensive heating, ventila- Associated Press The three 20-somethings
tion and air conditioning bought a variety of buds
systems to prevent the dis- Los Angeles' business de- But the proposal came un- summer. Members of the and the quick-acting
tinct marijuana odor from velopment manager, said der withering criticism from panel, however, continue “wax,” a potent pot con-
leaking outside. residents and cannabis Republican Gov. Charlie to support the idea. centrate, and settled into
Other California cities are businesses complain there Baker's administration and "Those who wish to con- a booth with all the ac-
warming to the idea. is "no safe place, no legal law enforcement officials, sume cannabis are going coutrement they needed.
The city of West Hollywood place, to use it." who claimed among other to do so whether social After customers purchase
has approved plans to is- Rocco said Los Angeles things that opening such sites exist or not, and are at least $40 worth of prod-
sue up to eight licenses; officials envision smoking businesses would lead to going to make driving de- uct, the Barbary Coast will
the tiny San Francisco Bay lounges set up like tradi- more dangerously stoned cisions regardless of where supply bongs, joint rollers,
Area town of Alameda said tional bars, but for now the drivers. they consume," said Jim “rigs” for wax smoking and
it will allow two; and Oak- idea is more concept than The five-member Cannabis Borghesani, spokesman for just about any smoking
land and South Lake Tahoe plan. Control Commission ulti- the Massachusetts chapter tool desired. They smoked
each have one lounge. Meanwhile, lawmakers mately yielded to pressure of the pro-legalization Mari- and debated the merits of
Sacramento, Los Angeles and officials in other states by agreeing to put off a juana Policy Project. "Social smoking buds versus wax.
and other cities are discuss- are dithering over the issue. decision on licensing any sites will simply give canna- “This city is built for tourists,”
ing the issue but have not Massachusetts marijuana cafes until after the initial bis users the same options Henry said. “We put a lot of
authorized any lounges. regulators considered ap- rollout of retail marijuana available to alcohol users." work into giving them a San
Jackie Rocco, the city of proval of "cannabis cafes." operations, expected this In Colorado, one of the first Francisco experience.”q