This week the Berkeley City Council voted unanimously to change the city’s municipal code to allow on-site cannabis consumption in lounges.
The allowance applies to storefront retailers that install a ventilation system and the vote also legalizes up to seven cannabis delivery services in the city.
In a report to the council, staff members wrote, “Providing a place to consume cannabis legally is important for patients who have no other options.”
The Berkeley Community Health Commission has opposed allowing consumption at lounges because of the risk of secondary exposure to cannabis smoke and vapor, as well as the risk of impaired driving.
The Berkeley Patients Group (BPG), which says it’s the nation’s oldest cannabis dispensary, supported the measure.
The BPG said, “We want to thank our city council members for their diligence and thoughtfulness. We’d also like to thank the staff, who spent three years researching and developing their prudent recommendations for a post-legalization world.”
The group said Berkeley officials “have shaped the most progressive cannabis regulations in the country.”
