San Francisco Considers Letting Cannabis Consumption Lounges Host Music, Serve Food

San Francisco supervisors have advanced a proposal that would allow existing cannabis consumption lounges to serve food and nonalcoholic drinks and host live entertainment, NBC Bay Area reports.

The Board of Supervisors approved the ordinance 7-4 on its first reading Tuesday, with a final vote expected next week, according to the report. If approved, the measure would allow the city’s cannabis consumption lounges to expand their offerings under a state law authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D).

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who introduced the ordinance in the spring, said the policy could help the city’s licensed cannabis operators develop more sustainable business models while also drawing tourism.

“Amsterdam does a lot of tourism business and has a lot of benefits from having the cannabis cafes,” Mandelman said, according to the report.

“San Francisco is not Amsterdam; there may be elements of that that we’re going to see out here, and again, that could be part of our recovery.”

William Dolan, CEO of Hyrba dispensary in the Sunset District, said the proposal would move forward a nearly decade-old plan to open a social-use cannabis space in the Mission District where customers could legally consume cannabis while getting food, snacks, or coffee.

The ordinance has drawn opposition from public health advocates and some city officials over indoor smoking concerns. Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who voted against the measure, said the proposal “is going backward on our public health goals,” while the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation warned that workers and entertainers could face increased exposure to indoor air pollution.

Mandelman said Tuesday’s vote suggests the proposal is likely to pass its final reading.