marijuana lounge

We’ve come a long way…

Not so much.

December 9, 2013. I-502 anniversary celebration under the Space Needle. Not only was there a celebration to celebrate the legalization of marijuana in our state, but there was a special permit handed out to allow adults over the age of 21 to smoke cannabis in a designated area, despite this being an event opened to the public. I’m sure that many people were looking up ‘All you Need to Know About Bongs‘ after this announcement in preparation for the day, so they could join in and celebrate! There are so many ways to use cannabis of course. It’s a trend now, after its heroic purposes used in healthcare, it’s shone a pretty positive light on the substance! But anyway, this is a breakthrough, yes, but it’s just the beginning, right? We live in such a great and progressive state, it’s just a matter of time that Washington allows for marijuana use lounges and bars.

It’s been almost a year and a half since that anniversary celebration and progress has been minimal at best. Sure, Pete Holmes detailed in a memorandum at the beginning of the year that we should have a place for people to consume marijuana publicly or ‘marijuana use lounges.’ Because of the clean air act, customers will only be able to eat edibles or vaporize cannabis.

If you are going to designate a place to consume marijuana, then let the public consume the herb in any way they choose, be that smoking something like this cake crasher strain or taking edibles, vaping etc. The clean air act was created because of tobacco smoke, not marijuana smoke. There is a huge difference.

Also, the majority of customers are not going to care about being in an environment filled with cannabis smoke. Do people go to a hookah lounge and complain about smoke from hookahs. No, they expect it. If people don’t want to be around marijuana smoke, guess what? They don’t have to go to a marijuana use lounge.

It’s been almost a year and a half since that anniversary celebration and one of the biggest names in marijuana, and its’ annual Cannabis Cup, is moving out of our state because they can’t get a special permit for anything – not even a liquor license.

You would think the state would allow for at least a liquor license, a special permit to smoke cannabis, or just turn a blind eye. After all, they continue to turn a blind eye to the marijuana delivery services who are still operating and advertising freely, without licenses or jurisdiction. So, why not turn a blind eye and allow High Times to conduct their annual event?

In some ways, legalization has made us soft. We made a huge statement in 2012 when we became the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana. We were a pioneer in every essence of the word.

Now, years later, we have the newly legalized state of Oregon watching our every move and mistakes, and doing things differently and how they should be. For example, allowing residents to grow their own recreational marijuana.

There are two things that need to happen by years end:

One, we need to get the recreational marijuana retail tax issue sorted out so the retail marijuana stores can survive and thrive. This is issue number one. Quit gouging the lifeblood of our industry. In fact, why not an emergency session to get this fixed?

James Lathrop, owner of Cannabis City, has been very vocal about this. Let’s follow his lead and get this sorted out.

Secondly, allow for marijuana use lounges. Real marijuana use lounges where we can light up a joint if we choose. The clean air act was created for tobacco. If it was created for any type of pollutant, then you got a problem. Try walking along along the road on Capitol Hill and get a good whiff of a city bus as it passes by. This violates everything about clean air.

Also, if legislation passes a better recreational marijuana retail tax and marijuana use lounges, have a plan to implement these things right away. We have already waited two and a half years since we became the first state to legalize marijuana and we still are trying to get our industry up and running. Don’t make us wait any longer.

One of the most disappointing aspects of the way I-502 was structured was that it included a couple important provisions that essentially banned the possibility of the weed lounges a lot of us hoping to see one day. There were already a few factors which make this difficult, from the state ban on indoor smoking to the numerous restrictions on smoking “in view of the public.” Perhaps the most important, however, is the stipulation of I-502 that states that marijuana cannot be consumed at the place at which it has been purchased.

At the rate at which these laws change, it will be a while before we see Seattle’s first cannabis lounge – but what will a marijuana lounge look like when one finally opens? By skirting some of the rules, and outright ignoring some of the others, let’s take a look at Cascadia Cannabis Lounge, Seattle’s first hypothetical proposed weed lounge.

One of the biggest problems facing the process of opening a weed lounge inside of Seattle is figuring out where you can place it. The 1000 foot rule, which is designed to keep places selling marijuana away from schools and parks, means that the most densely populated areas are ineligible for any sort of dispensary or weed lounge. We’re going to toss that rule out the window and put Cascadia in the heart of Capitol Hill, possibly someplace in between Broadway and 12^th, within blocks of some of the Capitol Hill’s best restaurants, music venues and coffee shops.

With a location like this Cascadia can bring real value to the neighborhood. One of the most basic is to add a service to the area that is both unique and complementary to the neighborhood at large. Just as like-minded people gather at coffee shops and bars to take part in shared interests, from espresso and news at Stumptown Coffee to music and drinks at Nuemos, so will people be able to enjoy cannabis and socialize at Cascadia Cannabis Club. By providing a safe, accessible place for adults to purchase and consume marijuana during most of the day, probably from 10am to 12am, Cascadia Cannabis Lounge will help accomplish what I-502 purports to do – taking marijuana distribution out of the hands of dealers and consumption out of the view of the public.

What will Cascadia Cannabis Lounge look like? As the first cannabis lounge in Seattle, we want it to be demonstrative of how a well-designed marijuana lounge can definitively add value to its surrounding neighborhood. To that end, Cascadia Cannabis Lounge is going to be a classy joint. Not stuffy classy, no one should feel intimidated to hang out there, but someplace with lodge-like qualities that celebrate the heritage of Seattle and Washington, and with clean, industrial lines. Imagine a cross between Smith and Café Vita, if you would.

image from: http://www.seattleite.com/

Image from www.Seattleite.com

Image from: skypencil.com

Image from www.skypencil.com

Cascadia Cannabis Lounge would be staffed by experienced industry professionals, providing product guidance and to-order joints. A large selection of edibles would be available, and a full coffee bar would be open from 10 am, alongside other medicated and non-medicated beverages. A small stage would host low-key performances and music in the evenings.

All in all, Cascadia Cannabis Lounge would be dedicated to providing a professional, enjoyable cannabis experience that would bring real value to a community that could easily benefit from it. Hopefully, one day this dream can become a reality.

Marijuana Bars and Reconstructed Retail Taxes ASAP

Seattle’s First Proposed Weed Lounge