KQED
San Francisco will become the first Bay Area city to allow Amsterdam-style cannabis cafés, after the Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to let licensed cannabis retailers serve food and nonalcoholic drinks alongside on-site consumption.
The measure implements AB 1775, a 2024 state law that allows cities to issue licenses to cannabis cafés. Supporters framed it as a lifeline for a legal industry squeezed by high taxes, falling prices and a stubborn illicit market that, by the state’s estimate, still accounts for roughly 60% of cannabis sold in California.
Under the ordinance, cafés may sell cannabis only for consumption on the premises — nothing may leave the building — and no alcohol or tobacco is allowed. Operators must carry a Department of Public Health consumption permit alongside their Office of Cannabis permit, meet the same food safety standards as any restaurant, and verify every customer’s age electronically at the door.
The ordinance, authored by Board President Rafael Mandelman, was approved in a 7-4 vote, with Supervisors Connie Chan, Chyanne Chen, Alan Wong and Myrna Melgar opposing it.
Full report
https://www.kqed.org/news/12091247/san-francisco-approves-cannabis-cafes-a-first-for-the-bay-area
