A restaurant in West Hollywood will make history when it opens next month as the first in America to have cannabis on the menu.
Recreational marijuana was legalised in California in 2016 and since then the weed business has been developing to allow entrepreneurs to take advantage of the new law.
Though it’s still illegal to smoke weed in public in California, the city of West Hollywood has come up with a new way to utilise recreational weed by creating a licensing process to allow cannabis restaurants.
Lowell Cafe, set to open on October 1, will be the first of these establishments to open its doors. Inside the restaurant, ‘budtenders’ will greet customers and help them navigate menus of joints, bong service, dab rigs and other cannabis treats, The Guardian reports.
The restaurant’s owners have not yet sorted a way to legally serve fresh food infused with cannabis as there is no state health regulation permitting it, but they have been able to secure approvals for both food and weed consumption in one location.
As a result, the weed-based options will be served alongside dishes ‘meant to complement the heightened senses from THC consumption’.
By offering both food and cannabis products, Lowell Cafe will set itself apart from existing ‘lounges’ and clubs where people can gather and smoke.
Chef Andrea Drummer spoke about how Lowell Cafe will allow recreational weed users to enjoy the atmosphere without judgement from those against the substance, saying:
Cannabis consumers have had to kind of be closeted. To be able to engage in and consume in a space with like-minded people and not have it be secret and not feel judged, I think it’s an exceptional concept.
The restaurant’s staff will function like wine sommeliers, asking guests about their experiences and interests in order to offer up the best options.
Kevin Brady, the director of Lowell Cafe, described the restaurant as a ‘light, bright, airy oasis of a space’ where people can consume cannabis.
He explained:
It’s a fun opportunity, because it’s so unknown. Being the first, we want to make sure we set the benchmark very high.
It’s not the college, Dave Matthews Band kind of vibe. It’s this really elegant place.
The Guardian report neighbours have expressed concern about the pungent smell of marijuana leaking from the restaurant but the director explained Lowell Cafe will have an ‘advanced air filtration system’ to ensure the smell doesn’t escape.
Co-founder Sean Black hopes the cafe will help tackle remaining stigmas around cannabis consumption, as he explained:
There are people in other states who are in jail while we are serving fancy meals. It’s inherently unfair.
We want it to have the same respect as fine wine… Cannabis can be a fun recreational part of society, like alcohol, without being dangerous.
Lowell Cafe is set to be open from 10am to 10pm and Brady has already started taking reservations, with people from all over the world planning to visit the restaurant.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.