Cannabis cafés could be coming to California. As the state legislature decides the fate of hundreds of bills before it wraps up this session, it has cleared the way for Amsterdam-like marijuana emporiums. 

If you’ve ever visited a cannabis dispensary around here, you know that they just sell various forms of marijuana, no food or drink, they’re set up more like pharmacies than restaurants or cafes. That’s partly because the system morphed from medical marijuana dispensaries into legal, recreational marijuana shops, no prescription needed, but the pharmacy model was already established.

The system isn’t working quite as intended, so now the State Assembly and Senate have voted overwhelmingly to legalize something more ambitious: allowing local cities and counties to permit cannabis shops that can also sell food and drink and even have live entertainment. 

For more, KCBS Political Reporter Doug Sovern, along with Bret Burkhart and Patti Reising, spoke with State Assembly member Matt Haney of San Francisco, the author of this bill, AB374, which is on its way to the governor’s desk.