West Hollywood Approves First Open-Air Cannabis Restaurant In US

However, the cannabis cafe will sit across the street from a synagogue, which has an outdoor area used by the congregation. A rabbi at Tuesday’s city meeting asked for the business license to be rejected, and left without a word when it was approved, NBC4 reported.

Lowell Farms promised an air filtration system like the one used in casinos to gain unanimous approval from the city.

West Hollywood pot shops have been open since January 2018, but the approval of the restaurant is considered historic and many believe the move by the progressive city is only the start — even though the cannabis consumption area licenses are only good for a year. Skeptics are watching to make sure these marijuana milestones are here to last. The restaurant will be alcohol free since state law prohibits the consumption of cannabis and alcohol on the same site. Doors could open within months.

A National Restaurant Association survey released earlier this year showed that plant-based ingredients, including cannabis and CBD, were considered some of the top trends in the industry. Seventy-six percent of the 650 association-member chefs surveyed identified cannabis/CBD-infused food as the second-most popular trend. Cannabis-infused drinks were identified as the top trend.

Nearby in Hollywood, Weedmaps is opening a pop-up Museum of Weed in August. The 30,000 square-foot Weedmaps Museum of Weed will feature interactive exhibits, art installations, historical artifacts and more, aiming to shed light on the tie between cannabis prohibition and racially disparate policies.

The museum, which will be located at 720 North Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, will feature seven exhibits and a special Plant Lab section when it opens:

● Pre-Prohibition: Depicts the early history of the many uses of cannabis and hemp.

● Age Of Madness: Provides a visual look at the hysteria perpetuated by prohibition.

● Counterculture Revolution: Explores cannabis’ journey into the fabric of the 60s, from the hippie culture to activism.

● Behind Closed Doors: Takes visitors to the start of the war on drugs, when Richard Nixon introduced the DEA, and the people responded with foundations like NORML.

● Entrapment: Delves into the Reagan years and the government-driven propaganda that led to systematic mass incarceration of minorities.

● Dose of Compassion: Shows how the AIDS epidemic drove California’s ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana through a slice of life story.

● Legalization: A look at how both medicinal and recreational cannabis reform has evolved over the last decade and how pop culture has aided in normalizing cannabis.

● The Plant Lab: An interactive exhibit that explores everything from cannabinoids to terpenes and the latest technology and breakthrough medical research that can help shape the future of the plant and its role in society.

The Weedmaps Museum of Weed will be open for a limited time, and will feature a gift shop with a robust collection of custom apparel, commemorative pop culture keepsakes, and a variety of cannabis trinkets — but no cannabis or CBD products will be sold onsite.

City News Service and Patch staffer Mark Nero contributed to this post