Bill Legalizing Amsterdam-Style Cannabis Cafes Heads to the Governor with Bipartisan Support

LOS ANGELES — Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) was joined by local cannabis leaders Sept. 6 to urge Gov. Newsom to sign legislation that allows local California governments to license Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes. AB 1775, authored by Haney, passed out of the Senate with a 30-7 vote, and is heading to the Governor’s desk with bipartisan support.

California is famous for its cannabis culture driven by the state’s early adoption of medical cannabis and expertise in cultivation. But California fails to keep up with one city for the world title of cannabis culture: Amsterdam. In the Netherlands, Amsterdam’s cannabis cafes thrive as a part of the city’s unique social structure, and capitalizes on the social nature of cannabis through coffee, food, and live music – all opportunities that are currently illegal under California law. AB 1775 simply allows cannabis retailers to diversify their business and move away from the struggling and limited dispensary model by selling non-cannabis-infused foods. 

“Lots of people want to enjoy legal cannabis in the company of others,” said Haney, Chair of the Select Committee on Downtown Recovery. “And many people want to do that while sipping coffee, eating a scone, or listening to music. There’s absolutely no good reason from an economic, health or safety standpoint that the state should make that illegal. If an authorized cannabis retail store wants to also sell a cup of coffee and a sandwich, we should allow cities to make that possible and stop holding back these small businesses.”

A previous version of the bill, AB 374, was vetoed last year by Gov. Newsom, who urged in his veto message to reintroduce the bill to include more protections for cannabis workers. This year, Assemblymember Haney reintroduced the bill with the support of the United Commercial and Food Workers to ensure cannabis lounge workers are protected from secondhand smoke impacts at work. 

AB 1775 received bipartisan support in both houses of the Legislature and now sits on the Governor’s desk awaiting a signature.