Today, more Americans use marijuana daily than drink alcohol daily, according to a recent study.
This is good news for an industry that has been unfairly demonized by opportunistic politicians since the days of Nixon. The findings, based on data collected between 1979 and 2022, are consistent with the wave of decriminalization under state laws, particularly California's Proposition 215 in 1996.
opinion columnist
LZ Granderson
LZ Granderson writes about culture, politics, sports, and living life in America.
After that year's election, a Loyola law professor was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying that “these may be the baby boomers taking over.”
It was not the boomers who prevailed, but pragmatism.
About 1.3 million people in the US are in state prisons. The most common reason for imprisonment? Drug-related crimes. Given how much the country with the largest prison population loves marijuana, it makes sense to stop imprisoning people for using it.
Today, the only states where cannabis 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 “pass the Dutchman on the left side.”
The next important step for policies to truly reflect society would be for Governor Gavin Newsom to sign the “snack bill” that is likely coming soon.
Last year, Assembly Bill 374, which would make it legal for dispensaries to become cafes and offer food as well as host live events, passed the Assembly 66-9 and the Senate 33-3.
Surprisingly, Newsom vetoed the bipartisan bill in October, citing concerns about providing a smoke-free work environment for employees. This seems absurd, considering that it is already legal to consume marijuana in California dispensaries. AB 374 would have made it possible to buy a bag of chips while you're at it.
Marijuana cafes have been around in Amsterdam since the 1970s. Last summer I spent a few hours listening to music and eating homemade desserts at the first marijuana cafe in North America. Appropriately named New Amsterdam Cafe, the popular hangout opened in Vancouver in 1998 and is just as laid-back as Issa Rae's Hilltop Coffee.
However, vibrations are not the only reasons Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) introduced AB 374. For him it is also a matter of fairness and trying to level the playing field.
“Small businesses have to follow all the rules, and yet you're telling them they can't adapt, innovate, and deliver something that people want,” he said. “Those who follow the rules should be able to offer an experience. People pay a lot to sit in a wine cellar. We have smoking rooms. This is really no different.”
Despite the best efforts of authorities, it is estimated that illegal marijuana has attracted more than $8 billion in 2020, compared to $4 billion for the legal sector.. However, it is small business owners who also bear the burden of taxes, regulations and fines. All of which erodes profits and companies' ability to grow. Haney said his proposal would not only allow small business owners to diversify their income stream, but would also encourage people to emerge from their post-pandemic cocoons and socialize again.
California began liberating cannabis culture in 1996. It is only fair that the state continues to correct a narrative that was not born of science but of the president Nixon's prejudice. It's because of that cloud hanging over cannabis that decriminalization advocates had to sweeten the deal for voters by promising a financial windfall for the state, which is why, of course, legal marijuana is ridiculously overstretched.
Haney said he knows the cafes won't solve all the problems dispensary owners face because of black market competition, but they would at least give owners more ways to make money. Haney said he worked with both Newsom's office and the Department of Cannabis Control before reintroducing the bill. He said the new version, AB 1775, addresses the governor's concern about the work environment and also has the support of the union. It recently passed the Assembly 49-4 and heads to the Senate.
My hope is that the snack bill gets Newsom's approval. With proper ventilation for both employees and customers, marijuana cafes could provide new venues for local artists and add another branch of tourism.
“I'm one of the youngest legislators, and I see how excited my friends are,” Haney, 42, told me. “I have a couple of colleagues who represent suburban districts and one came up to me and said, 'All the suburban moms are excited about the cannabis coffee bill.' After the pandemic, it has been difficult to get people out and I think this makes sense.”
It really is.
