Yahoo News
the proposed ordinance has received pushback from public health groups, which argue that lounges would pose health concerns for patrons, employees and passersby.
During a council discussion in October, representatives from the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society spoke out against the ordinance. And on Monday Sacramento City Councilman Eric Guerra held a news conference in council chambers to voice concerns about secondhand smoke, drawing comparisons to California’s restrictions on public tobacco consumption.
“We cannot give a false sense of safety to consumers,” Guerra said.
Business owners who plan to seek permits to open lounges, if the ordinance passes, said there are means of reducing the potential health risks.
“I think that there is risk in anything,” Cargile said. “There is risk in driving to work… I think education helps mitigate that risk.”
Experts said they expect lounges would provide some measure of economic boost to dispensaries. But it may be limited.
Daniel Sumner, professor of agricultural economics at UC Davis, said it’s unlikely that the advent of lounges would be a significant enough change to reverse recent declines in the industry.
The state’s sales and excise tax revenues from the cannabis industry grew dramatically after recreational use was legalized. But over the past three years, the numbers have flattened, and even decreased some.
