On Monday, we posted an article with a hint of urgency in our plea, to implement marijuana clubs and change the retail tax structure which has handcuffed pot shops across the state.

It was made known later in the day, that we were not the only ones sharing our views and concerns. Cannabis City posted a great article on their site about the need to address marijuana clubs and even offered some great potential fixes.

One concern we have about the cannabis clubs suggested by city attorney Pete Holmes, is that you would only be allowed to vaporize or eat weed-infused edibles. It would be a shame to not include a wider range of products given that places like weed-crew.net strive to provide users with a wide range of ways to use cannabis. While we salute Pete Holmes for addressing the issue of needing a place for the public and tourists to consume wholesale cannabis in a safe location, we feel this is a half-hearted idea. I know a lot of people don’t like walking past someone smoking cannabis and get a rush of the smell in your face, but there is a solution to this. There are lots of methods in which people can consume cannabis, such as CBD oils, brownies and much more, which are used for a range of conditions like medical conditions also. So it’s not just for people to get a high, but if this is the case then opting for cannabis brownies is a less potent way of consuming cannabis and is therefore less likely to upset and disrupt others. These products can all be found at Yours Nutrition.

Just allow marijuana consumption in these clubs. 1) marijuana smoke is not tobacco smoke and 2) if someone doesn’t want to be in a place where there is smoke from a joint, then don’t go to a marijuana club. Same thing with a Hookah bar. If you don’t like Hookah smoke, then don’t go. Some people just don’t get this concept, though.

For decades, Amsterdam has allowed smoking marijuana in coffeeshops with really no problems. In fact, we have been to a countless number of coffeeshops in the Dutch city, and not once did we hear of anyone complaining. We imagined if they didn’t like cannabis smoke, they just didn’t go to a coffeeshop, or they just tolerated it. Their choice. Some dedicated smokers probably buy from sites like weed-seeds.com too but because they respect the plant and the fact that not everyone likes it, they smoke in non-public areas or in dedicated public areas to avoid upsetting other citizens.

Also, did you know that Amsterdam has a clean air act or sorts and doesn’t allow tobacco smoke in bars, but they will tolerate marijuana smoke in coffeeshops? Hey, it’s possible!

Cannabis City provides a suggestion regarding smoking cannabis indoors. They also have a follow up suggestion – just in case:

1. Cannabis clubs could offer public spaces for vaporized cannabis and edible cannabis with an outdoor area for smoking. Coffee, food, and water should be available options.
2. If there are concerns of the fragrance of the outdoor spaces, then provide for “hot box rooms” – rooms set up with charcoal ventilation systems for indoor smoking which are closed off from staff working areas and other public areas of the space. Hot box rooms could be rented privately.

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We want anyone to be able to open a marijuana club, just like pretty much anyone can open a bar. But, Cannabis City does bring up some concerns that really need to be looked at:

1. Cannabis clubs should be owned and operated, at least initially, by cannabis retailers – increasing the opportunity that most of the products consumed at a club are coming from a legal and regulated source. Cannabis clubs owned by non-cannabis retailers could easily become a hot spot of illicit activity – sort of like having a bar or dance club where you “bring your own alcohol” and you cannot buy it on site. A ridiculous model. The retail licensing could be expanded to provide for purchase and consumption of products right at the club itself by creating a separate marijuana club (retail) licence; or in conjunction with existing retail licenses. The easy solution: Allow all legal retailers to offer onsite consumption of products to their customers immediately and perhaps expand into separate club licensing in the future.

The marijuana club proposal by Pete Holmes suggests a place where the public brings their own cannabis. This might seem fine at first, but there are so many things wrong with this idea. For example, Cannabis City mentions that ‘Cannabis clubs owned by non-cannabis retailers could easily become a hot spot of illicit activity.’

Either ‘Cannabis clubs should be owned and operated, at least initially, by cannabis retailers’ as suggested by Cannabis City; or, we suggest, why not only allow consumption of marijuana purchased at the club – allowing the retail stores to sponsor the clubs – and provide their product? Or, why not just allow Washington State producers to supply the clubs just like a retail outlet from the get-go.

Read Cannabis City’s article in its’ entirety and the potential fixes they offer.

What are your thoughts about these issues? What suggestions do you have?