By Max Sargent


Wouldn’t it be wonderful to go to a bar, but one where you can consume cannabis instead of alcohol? For some people, in the US and beyond, this is possible! Cannabis consumption lounges are spaces where people can gather, smoke weed, watch events, and make new friends. Though, depending on where they operate, they have to satisfy varying degrees of legislation and restriction.

In this article, we’re taking a look at cannabis consumption lounges, what they offer, and the hurdles they face.

What Is a Cannabis Lounge?

Cannabis lounges are, simply put, places to consume weed. At their most basic, they’re licensed spaces where you can bring cannabis products of your choice, hang out, and get high. However, some of them sell cannabis, with diverse menus and products to suit all manner of herb lovers. Whether you like smoking bongs or joints, vaping concentrates, or nibbling on edibles, there's something for all.

Two women are sitting outdoors, joyfully smoking joints. The background includes cannabis plants and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
  • Origins of Consumption Lounges

The first legal iteration of consumption lounges, at least in the modern Western world, were probably Amsterdam’s famous coffeeshops. These offer cannabis products that can be consumed on the premises, along with other products (such as food and drink).

This model has now been adopted and tweaked in various countries, including the US. In some states, there is an issue where you can purchase cannabis legally in a dispensary but can’t consume it there, but you also can’t consume it in public spaces, so you have to smoke it at home (if you want to consume legally). Many people like to consume in shared, communal spaces, however. Thus, the consumption lounge was born!

These fill a crucial gap, providing cannabis users somewhere they can legally get high along with other cannabis lovers—much like going to a bar, but with weed.

  • What Defines a Consumption Lounge?

A cannabis consumption lounge could simply be defined as somewhere people gather to use cannabis. But here, we’re talking about legal, licensed lounges. Beyond this, much like bars, they can range in quality and ethos. However, many lounges tend to be community-focused and designed to help those who love cannabis meet like-minded people and ultimately form friendships.

Different regulatory models exist in different states. Some require that you bring your own cannabis (BYOC), while others sell cannabis products on-site.

  • Features of Modern Cannabis Lounges

Though they could just be rooms to get blazed in, these lounges are usually much more than that. Most sell food and drink, both as a means to make a profit and because stoned people famously love to consume delicious treats! Others may well put on entertainment, such as music, comedy shows, and quizzes.

Moreover, in keeping with the desire to build community, many will host community-centred nights including activities like wellness workshops, cannabis workshops, yoga, educational sessions, and so on.

Which States Have Consumption Lounges?

The legality of cannabis consumption lounges varies from state to state in America, and it’s an ever-changing system. Below, we’ll go through the legal considerations, examine where cannabis consumption lounges are legal, and also take a look at some international examples.

  • Key Legal Milestones

  • 2016: California voters approve Proposition 64, which includes provisions for cannabis cafes and consumption lounges, making it one of the first states to implement such spaces.
  • 2018: Alaska becomes the first state to officially authorise on-site consumption spaces in dispensaries.
  • 2019: Nevada passes legislation to allow cannabis consumption lounges, with a focus on boosting tourism.
  • 2021: Colorado updates its cannabis regulations to permit cannabis hospitality establishments, including lounges.
  • 2022: The states of New York and New Jersey incorporate consumption lounges into their cannabis legalization frameworks, signalling broader acceptance nationwide.
  • States Where Lounges Are Legal

Cannabis consumption lounges are currently legal in the following American states:

  • International Examples

As mentioned, the OG consumption lounges are found in Amsterdam. However, there are plenty more examples.

Spain, particularly Barcelona, boasts a thriving cannabis social club scene. These clubs both sell high-quality products and provide spaces in which to consume it. Some are more accessible, while others are more exclusive and require a personal invite from an existing member.

Uruguay, one of the most pro-cannabis countries in the world, also has a social club model that includes spaces that could be considered consumption lounges.

Germany has recently legalized cannabis social clubs, but as yet does not allow cannabis to be consumed on-site. Therefore, clubs are exploring the potential of having separate spaces where members can consume their cannabis.

What to Expect in a Cannabis Consumption Lounge

Though each lounge is different, and some pride themselves on their individuality, there are commonalities among most of them.

  • Ambiance and Vibe

Most cannabis lounges are comfortable and modern. That being said, they aren’t all necessarily chill. Many lounges, in the Netherlands for example, play loud music and are not relaxing spaces. Others are quieter and more relaxed.

Many include game consoles and other game options, whereas some are more akin to bars and pubs.

  • Menu Offerings

If a consumption lounge is able to sell cannabis products, expect a wide range including edibles, pre-rolls, flowers, infused drinks, concentrates, and vape cartridges.

Where they can’t sell cannabis (and where they can), expect at the very least for them to also sell soft drinks. More likely, they’ll have an extensive food and drink menu so that you can comfortably spend several hours in them without going hungry or thirsty.

  • Rules and Etiquette

As these are licensed spaces filled with stoned people, expect to follow rules and etiquette while in them. You should always:

  • Act respectfully
  • Understand the space operates under strict legal guidelines that must be adhered to
  • Respect sale limits
  • Do not bring your own weed unless it’s BYOC
  • Respect the privacy of other users
  • Follow the specific rules of the lounge
  • Events and Activities

As mentioned, in some lounges you can expect to find events and activities from time to time. These might include music, game nights or educational events such as seminars, growing workshops, tasting nights, and more.

Each lounge will curate events differently, so find one with offerings that interest you!

Three men in suits are relaxing indoors, with one smoking a joint. They are surrounded by images of cannabis plants.

Can I Bring My Own Cannabis to a Lounge?

It all depends on the law and the model that the particular lounge adheres to. Some have a BYOC policy, where you either can or must bring your own cannabis, while others will insist that you only consume cannabis bought on location.

The Benefits of a Cannabis Consumption Lounge

Cannabis consumption lounges have many benefits, for individual users, owners of the clubs, and wider communities.

  • For Consumers

Consumption lounges offer consumers access to safe and supportive environments in which to consume cannabis. In world where many people have been forced to consume cannabis in private, the opportunity to openly get high along with like-minded people is, for some, quite life-changing.

Not only is the communal aspect a benefit, but when lounges offer products, many consumers have access to a range of high-quality products (so long as the lounge is reputable).

  • For Communities

The benefits also spread to the wider community too. Making once-illicit cannabis use legal and giving it a home means that people who once had to operate under the radar can now do so openly, which benefits everyone. These spaces make the whole community safer and better educated, while also creating jobs and driving tourism, which of course benefits the owners of these establishments as well!

The Challenges and Drawbacks of Cannabis Lounges

There are significant challenges related to opening and running these spaces. Some jurisdictions are less restrictive and make life easier than others, but the general attitude toward cannabis is still negative even where the herb is legal.

  • Regulatory Hurdles

These spaces are highly regulated, and authorities tend to ensure that they adhere strictly to regulations, with harsh penalties if the rules are broken. This means that anyone operating a consumption lounge needs to be well aware of what the law states and always keep on the right side of it!

  • Public Perception

Venues must also contend with sustained negative perceptions from the public. Despite relaxing views, there remains much stigma around this plant and its consumption, and many of these lounges are looked down upon and petitioned against by the local communities in which they are embedded. As such, they have a tough time legitimising themselves where almost any other establishment wouldn’t have to.

  • Operational Challenges

Due to the strict regulations that must be complied with, it can be difficult for these businesses to turn a profit. Profits can be low and operational costs, including licensing, can be high (depending on the location). Combine this with poor public perception and they are often labours of love as much as they are profiting endeavours.

How Do Cannabis Lounges Differ From Traditional Dispensaries?

Though there is overlap between the two, the main focuses of coffeeshops and dispensaries are distinct.

Lounges focus on consumption, creating an atmosphere that encourages customers to hang around and make themselves comfortable. Dispensaries, on the other hand, focus on selling cannabis products, and may or may not offer lounges where buyers can stay and consume their weed.

A split image shows a hand holding a lit joint in a cannabis lounge on the left, and a person using tongs to select cannabis from a jar in a dispensary on the right.

The Future of Cannabis Consumption Lounges

Cannabis consumption lounges come in many guises, but at their core they are spaces where people can legally consume cannabis. They may sell the cannabis, or they may invite people to bring their own. Regardless, they tend to be safe and supportive environments that benefit users and the community alike.

Depending on where they are located, cannabis consumption lounges are subject to varying levels of scrutiny, stigma, and restriction, but hopefully this will ease and change for the better in the future. But as their number is currently increasing, they certainly mark a step in the right direction!

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: