National City is slated to become the first city in San Diego to allow cannabis lounges, reports FOX5.
The National City City Council recently approved an ordinance allowing the lounges to open. The ordinance allows three lounges and three commercial dispensaries to operate west of Interstate 5 in the area of Tidelands Avenue and Bay Marina Drive.
“We are still developing that whole area,” National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis told FOX5. “It could really become a destination.”
The application process for lounges and dispensaries is expected to open within the next 30 days.
The city does have regulations including:
- Alcohol and tobacco consumption in the lounges is prohibited
- Customers must be 21 or older
- A security guard must be working during hours of operation
- Approval of permits is dependent upon an Anti-Drugged Driving Plan
“Let’s just say it’s kind of like a bar,” said Sotelo-Solis. “If you wanted to do a tasting, whether it be a beer or wine, craft beer, you choose your product. You’d be educated on the alcohol content, where it was made, a little bit about it, the flavor and then you go and you’re able to enjoy.”
She says legislation out of Sacramento suggests it won't be too long before cannabis lounges would be allowed statewide.
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