The television show “Cheers” showed us how to build a community of acquaintances hanging out as regulars at your favorite neighborhood pub. It’s not just the food or beverages that draw people to gather outside the home. Many people feel better when they spend time engaging in person.
In an era of remote work and digital communications, making that face-to-face instead of “Face Time” can be difficult for many people. Cannabis culture has always involved community. Check out the crowds and volume of celebrations on 420 as supporting evidence.
If you can consume alcohol, which is also a controlled substance, why can’t you extend that privilege to legal cannabis users? The same rules apply regarding who can consume, medical cardholders, and also recreational users over the age of twenty-one in some states.
Slowly but surely, that privilege is being realized. But cannabis lounges are not like the wild stories you’ve heard about Amsterdam’s marijuana. They are more like a relaxed and fun speakeasy.
What Are Cannabis Lounges?
Like the legendary “Cheers” bar, people go to socialize and consume cannabis at lounges. In most cases, the lounges are also licensed dispensaries that can serve flowers, edibles, and pre-rolled cannabis and sell devices, paraphernalia, and supplies.
The licensing process to operate a cannabis cafe is arduous and it is expensive. The few cannabis lounges operating in the United States right now are nothing like dive bars. They are contemporary and typically upscale in ambiance and quality.
When Did The First Cannabis Club Open?
Your grandparents or great-grandparents may have heard of cannabis clubs. During the 1920s prohibition of alcohol, people still wanted to get together in clubs to socialize and have fun. The problem was that alcohol was illegal.
Clubs called Teapads began popping up across the country. Often, they attracted jazz musicians and operated like underground social clubs, where you could buy and consume cannabis in the bar. Jazz legend Gene Krupa composed an entire album called “Teapad Songs Volume 1.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhCiVlIDKUg
By the 1930s, during the cultural demonization of cannabis and the Anslinger Era, cannabis became illegal to use, grow, process, and consume. That is when the Teapad clubs disappeared for the most part. One historical group, called the San Francisco Cannabis Buyers Club, was integral to cannabis reform in California, championing the legalization of medical marijuana.
The Original Cannabis Cafe opened its doors in October 2019 in West Hollywood, Los Angeles. California was the birthplace of recreational cannabis in the United States. However, the first step for the state was to institute the first legal medical marijuana program through Proposition 64 in 2016.
Can You Smoke Cannabis at Regular Bars and Clubs?
You can. But you may get into a lot of legal trouble. Even in states where both medical cannabis and recreational use are legalized, there are restrictions to where you can consume marijuana. For example, you may not consume cannabis within so many feet of a school (elementary, middle, or high school) or daycare facilities.
Cannabis users are generally restricted to consuming in private residences or on private property. Interestingly, in California, that also includes inside your car unless you are operating the vehicle or there is a child passenger.
You cannot consume cannabis on federal property. That includes military locations, government buildings, and national parks. If you are charged with possession and consumption of cannabis while visiting a national park, you may face a felony drug offense.
In case you are wondering, all intake methods are limited to private residential use. That includes edibles, tinctures, and vapes. So, you can see why the emergence of cannabis lounges across the United States is so exciting; they provide another safe, legal place where you can consume.
The Growth of Cannabis Beverage Products May Open Cannabars
The clinical evidence supports that drinking alcohol is very bad for you. But it is still the top substance consumed at social gatherings, sporting events, concerts, and local bars and clubs. The majority of people understand the potential health risks (liver damage, kidney disease, and esophageal cancer), but it is the only intoxicating substance that has been legal to use.
Life can be stressful. Aside from medicinal use for things like chronic pain management, muscle spasms, anxiety or depression, and other conditions, sometimes just the act of becoming slightly impaired can offer some mental health benefits. A pause, if you will, from everyday worries while helping some people make the most of a social opportunity.
Cannabis beverages are already being sold in the United States. However, few states have legalized them for sale. As state legalization for adult use continues, that is starting to change. One day, people who are concerned about the health risks associated with alcohol consumption may have a different choice.
Cannabis cafés will pave the path eventually to cannabis nightclubs, bars, and lounges. The choice to be “alcohol-free” will not prevent you from enjoying the same relaxing effects of alcohol with cannabis ciders, beers, and cocktails. With the exact same regulatory and safety controls in place as used for dispensing alcoholic beverages.
Are Cannabis Lounges Legal in the United States?
Technically, not even a dispensary is following federal law when cultivating, processing, manufacturing, and selling cannabis products. Some states have legalized cafes but issued very limited licensing. Before everyone rushes to invest in or open a cannabis consumption lounge, the wait list is extensive, with few business licenses granted.
Federally, cannabis lounges are illegal. But while visiting a state, the state laws apply regarding where and when you can consume cannabis. When you visit a cannabis consumption lounge, you need to present identification to show you are aged 21 or older. Or give your medical cannabis card if you are a patient.
If the business is licensed, you have nothing to worry about. But do your research before you visit a lounge to make sure it is. There is a growing problem with unlicensed cannabis cafes and lounges, where you could face legal risks.
What Can You Consume at a Cannabis Cafe?
Most cannabis cafes pride themselves on offering a vast selection of high-quality strains and marijuana products. Usually, the extensive menu has something for everyone, from premium flower to pre-rolls, confectionary edibles, baked goods, and infused beverages.
Some lounges also carry concentrates. Non-infused food and drinks are also available. Expect a nice relaxing place, hipster to classic decor, and a very welcoming environment. Sometimes, there are also cannabis-friendly activities to enjoy.
Current Cannabis Cafe Locations You Can Visit
If visiting a cannabis consumption lounge here in the United States is at the top of your bucket list, you are in luck. While they are not available in every state, there are some interesting locations in cities that are fun to visit.
Social consumption lounges are legal in Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Nevada. The states are also seeing an uptick in cannabis tourism because of the legalization of social consumption.
Here is a list of some cannabis consumption lounges you can visit:
1. Alaska
In Alaska, cannabis products can be sold at a cafe or consumption lounge, with the exception of concentrates. Customers can purchase one gram of flowers or edibles, which contain up to 10mg of THC. Alaska does not allow cannabis-infused beverages to be consumed inside the lounge, but business owners may sell them for customers to consume at home.
Patients with a medical card and adults over 21 years of age can be served in an Alaska cannabis lounge. All products purchased (with the exception of beverages) must be consumed before leaving the cannabis lounge.
Good Tritations is located at 506 Merhar Ave., Suite B, Fairbanks, Alaska. The lounge has an on-site dispensary, and you can view the grow room from a window in the comfy lounge area, designed like a home livingroom.
2. New York
Located at 416 Broadway in New York City, the Cafe Cannal lounge was the first to provide cannabidiol (CBD) products, but no cannabis. But now, there are several cannabis consumption lounges you can visit in New York.
- The Assembly (Manhattan).
- High Society (Brooklyn).
- Leaf (Lower Manhattan).
- Green House (Midtown Manhattan).
- The Den (Greenwich Village).
In 2023, Long Island moved toward legalizing cannabis consumption lounges, and in 2024, licensing may begin in that jurisdiction. Cannabis dispensaries and lounges must be 500 feet away from schools and at least 200 feet away from places of worship, which limits the locations where they can be built.
3. Illinois
A true cannabis café, the Wake-N-Bakery is located at 3508 N. Broadway in Chicago and is a destination if you are touring the city and want to pause for a wake-and-bake with a matcha latte, espresso, or sweet tea.
Some other locations to consider visiting are the Rise Mundelein Lounge (1325 Armour Blvd. Mundelein). The lounge was designed by Sasha Adler, and the lounge provides an extensive menu of quality cannabis products. Online orders and curbside pick-up are also available.
4. California
A black and female-owned dispensary and cannabis lounge, Rose Mary Jane (located at 2340 Harrison Street, Oakland) is about positive vibes. This cannabis lounge sells mocktails and THC products and a nice patio to enjoy some California dreaming. Rose Mary Jane also supports the Last Prisoner Project and the Women’s Prison Association, championing social equity and freedom for people incarcerated for cannabis use.
Other notable public consumption lounges to consider in California are:
- The Studio Loung at The Artist Tree.
- Mission Cannabis Club.
- Cookies Coalinga.
- Barbary Coast.
- The Original Cannabis Cafe.
The Mission Cannabis Club is at 2441 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA, 94110. The previous name was Shambhala Medical Cannabis Collective, founded by Khader Al Shawa, who faces numerous cease-and-desist orders for operating his dispensary. Shawa was engaged in a legal battle with the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, Melina Haag.
The very first cannabis consumption lounge license approved was issued to Lowell Herb Co., a cultivating farm and dispensary located in West Hollywood.
5. Massachusetts
The Summit Private Lounge is located at 116 Water Street in Worcester. It is an upscale lounge with a rustic design, and you can enjoy cannabis tastings and live music entertainment. There are also video games in the lounge, and you can rent or buy devices (dry herb vapes or bongs) and enjoy refreshments. They also have some fun “painting parties” and other events for private members, who pay $20 monthly for access.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL6rn6cLaPU
The Apex Noire cannabis dispensary and lounge is another popular destination. It is located at 150 State Street in Boston. Events include cannabis yoga and edible cooking classes, and there are seven floors and a rooftop patio (coming soon) to explore.
6. Colorado
Tetra Lounge is located in Denver, but you have to BYOB (bring your own bud). The lounge does not sell cannabis or CBD products but offers a comfortable ambiance to consume with friends. Tetra Lounge is located at 3039 Walnut Street.
Other cannabis lounges to try in Colorado include:
- Club 64 (Denver).
- iBake Denver.
- Sacred Smoke Sanctuary.
- Summit Recreational Retreat.
- Loopr (mobile lounge).
- Spectra Art Space.
- The Dab Lounge (Colorado Springs).
- The Lazy Lion (Colorado Springs).
- Studio 420 (Englewood).
In Colorado, clubs are exempt from the ‘Colorado Clean Indoor Act,’ and indoor consumption is legal as long as the venue is licensed and provides adequate ventilation in the seating areas.
Aaron Bloom, an experienced healthcare attorney, serves as the CEO of DocMJ and Medwell Health and Wellness Centers, where he has overseen the organizations’ mission and growth since 2016. In addition to his leadership roles, Aaron serves on the Board of Directors for Waterfall Bank, bringing his expertise in healthcare, compliance, and strategic growth to the financial services sector.
Aaron’s passion for improving patients’ lives stems from more than 20 years of owning, operating, and representing traditional healthcare organizations. Throughout his career, he has remained committed to finding better ways to relieve suffering and expand access to innovative, patient-centered care. As CEO, Aaron works each day to help patients achieve better health and wellness through the therapeutic benefits of medical cannabis and other evidence-based alternative medicines.