Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant. Native to Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various traditional medicines for centuries. Courtesy U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
A bill to allow Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes in California has been vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to Assemblymember Matt Haney, who authored the legislation.
Assembly Bill 374 passed the Assembly with a 66-9 vote last month after previously being approved by the state Senate.
The legislation would have allowed local jurisdictions to authorize cannabis retailers to prepare and serve non-cannabis food and beverages and to sell tickets to live performances.
Newsom said he vetoed the bill out of concern that the bill as written could undermine the state’s smoke-free workplace protections but that he did “appreciate” that cannabis business owners need to create more revenue streams.
Haney, D-San Francisco, has said the bill was meant to allow struggling cannabis businesses to diversify away from the marijuana-only “dispensary” model and “bring much-needed tourist dollars into empty downtowns.”
H/T: mv-voice.com
