Once seen as highly taboo, anti-establishment and a drug for the delinquent, cannabis is now socially “acceptable” and a legal drug. Medicinally, its benefits are wide reaching and of which we are just starting to understand. Recreationally, it is economical, is not habit forming nor is it a gateway drug. To avoid reprisals in the past—both legal and social, users had to keep their cannabis use largely to themselves by smoking before they go out or after they come home from a night out. However inconvenient, this practice or routine was manageable for recreational users but what about those who used marijuana for medicinal purposes—their lives would need to revolve around a planned schedule between doses or they would need to utilize an alternate form of dosing in order to venture outside their home. A place to smoke cannabis outside the home, such as a lounge, would be great—but why don’t they exist in Canada? I posed this question at the cannabis shops I visit locally, with those I buy marijuana online from, my friends at the mail order marijuana depots and those I know at the various commercial grow operations and here is what they had to say.
First and foremost a cannabis lounge is a place where people and get together outside the home to indulge in consuming marijuana publicly. The most popular are those in Amsterdam where the term “coffee shop” has come to mean an establishment where cannabis is sold and consumed. They are considered to be the “standard” the world over and just a sidenote, the resident science expert at the best online dispensary in Canada can recommend one or two that are a must visit if ever you are there. These shops act as a legal dispensary and are mostly concentrated in the famous Red Light District. Stays in the shop are recommended to be no longer than 30 minutes and you are limited in how much you can purchase within a given day. Coffee shops are not allowed to sell alcohol but food sales are permitted.
The equivalent of the coffee shop in Canada would be great, however, there are a number of reasons why we will not see these widespread anytime soon. According to my friend from one of the online dispensaries in Canada I frequent the main concerns are that more access would lead to more cannabis-related harm—this includes things such as impaired driving, public intoxication and not to mention the issue of contact exposure and second hand smoke. There is push back from the Restaurants Association of Canada who fear the ability to smoke within a commercial establishment (assuming cigarettes and vaping would be included in this mix) will provided lounges, which would also serve food and perhaps alcohol, with an unfair advantage.
Though cannabis may be legal in Canada, the resident science expert at the best online dispensary in Canada reminded me that many still do not embrace this lifestyle openly and that many users would like to keep their cannabis use within the confines of their homes—they regularly need to provide assurances their products will be shipped in a sealed plain package as to avoid any extra scrutiny. These individuals would most likely not patronize a cannabis lounge.
As you can see there are still many hurdles in place until Canadas version of the coffee shop is in play. Health and safety concerns as well as fair business practices need to be overcome until we see a cannabis lounge up and running in Canada.