According to statistics, more Americans now smoke marijuana every day than drink alcohol every day a recent study.
This is welcome news for an industry that has been unfairly demonized by opportunistic politicians since the days of Richard Nixon. The findings, based on data collected between 1979 and 2022, are consistent with a wave of decriminalization under state laws, particularly California’s Proposition 215 in 1996.
opinion columnist
LZ Granderson
LZ Granderson writes about American culture, politics, sports, and life.
After the election that year, the Los Angeles Times quoted a Loyola University law professor as saying: “This may be the result of the baby boomer generation taking power.”
It’s not baby boomers who are in vogue, it’s pragmatism.
about 1.3 million people are incarcerated in state prisons in the United States. Most common reason for incarceration? Drug-related crime. Considering how much we love marijuana in the country with the largest prison population, it makes sense to stop putting people in jail for marijuana use.
Today, the only states where marijuana is completely illegal are Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina, and Wyoming. Earlier this month, President Biden announced plans to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.
In short: “Just say no” is dead. Long live “overtaking the Dutch from the left”.
The next big step in making policies truly reflect society is Governor Gavin Newsom signing the Snacks Act, which could be implemented soon.
Last year, Assembly Bill 374, which would make it legal for dispensaries to serve as cafes, serve food and host in-person events, passed the Assembly 66-9 and the Senate 33-3.
Surprisingly, Newsom Bipartisan bill vetoed in October, citing concerns about providing employees with a smoke-free work environment. This seems ridiculous considering it’s already legal to smoke marijuana in California dispensaries. AB 374 would let you buy a bag of chips while you’re at it.
Cannabis cafes have existed in Amsterdam since the 1970s. Last summer, I spent hours listening to music and eating homemade desserts at North America’s first cannabis cafe. Aptly called the “New Amsterdam Cafe,” this popular hangout opened in Vancouver in 1998 and is as cool as Issa Rae’s Hilltop Coffee Shop.
Resonance isn’t the only reason Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) introduced AB 374, however.
“Small businesses have to follow every rule, but you tell them they can’t adapt, innovate and deliver what people want,” he said. “People who follow the rules should be able to deliver experiences. People pay a lot of money to sit in a winery. We have cigar lounges. It’s really no different.
Despite the best efforts of law enforcement, revenue from illegal marijuana is estimated to exceed $8 billion in 2020 compared to the legal $4 billion. However, small business owners also bear the burden of taxes, regulations, and fines. All of this erodes profits and a business’s ability to grow. Haney said his proposal would not only allow small business owners to diversify their revenue streams, but also encourage people to come out of their post-pandemic cocoon and socialize again.
California began liberating cannabis culture in 1996. Nixon’s Prejudice. It’s because of the cloud hanging over marijuana that advocates of decriminalization have had to sweeten the deal for voters by promising windfall revenue for the state, which is of course why legal marijuana is overtaxed.
Haney said he knows the cafe won’t solve all the problems dispensary owners face due to black market competition, but it will at least give owners more ways to make money. Haney said he worked with Newsom’s office and the Department of Marijuana Control before reintroducing the bill. He said the new version of AB 1775 addresses the governor’s concerns about the work environment and also has the support of unions. It was recently passed by Parliament 49 to 4 and will head to the Senate.
I hope the snack bill gets approved by Newsom. By providing proper ventilation for employees and customers, cannabis cafes can provide a new venue for local artists and add another branch of the tourism industry.
“I’m one of the younger legislators and I see how excited my friends are,” Haney, 42, told me. “I have several colleagues who represent suburbs, and one of them came to me and said, ‘All the suburban moms are excited about your cannabis cafe bills.’ Post-pandemic, it’s going to be hard to get people out, and I think that’s Makes sense.
Indeed.
