Ontario seeks public feedback on allowing cannabis lounges

Ontario is considering allowing licensed cannabis consumption lounges in the province once recreational marijuana is legalized this summer, and is asking the public to weigh in on the idea.

The proposal is being met with optimism by some cannabis activists and municipal politicians who say the provincial government’s approach on where legal weed can be consumed has been too restrictive so far.

Under rules outlined in the fall, the province intends to sell marijuana in up to 150 stores run by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario to people 19 and older, with a ban on pot’s consumption in public spaces or workplaces.

On Thursday, the province issued a request for public feedback on a slew of regulatory changes proposed to clarify where recreational and medical cannabis can be consumed. Among them is the possibility of permitting “licensed and regulated cannabis consumption lounges and venues” sometime after legalization in July.

That’s exactly what Abi Roach, the owner of Hotbox Cafe, a private Toronto cannabis lounge open since 2003, said she’s been asking the province to do for six years.

Roach appeared before a legislative committee examining the provincial government’s pot laws in November and at the time urged politicians to ease their rules around where the drug could be consumed. She said she wanted the government to shift from what she sees as building policy based on “90 years of prohibitionist mentality” to something that is “functional and realistic to the needs of the consumer.”

Current rules that intend to restrict consumption of marijuana to private residences will push people who can’t use cannabis in their own homes to places where it would create a problem, like public parks or their cars, Roach argued.

“In an urban setting you have to take into consideration your neighbours,” she said. “Maybe your neighbour has children. Maybe they’re not really into it. Maybe your neighbour has respiratory issues. There’s no real consideration there for your community.”

Roach said private cannabis lounges like Hotbox, which is among seven such establishments in Toronto, see thousands of customers a month and check IDs to make sure all customers are over the age of 19. The lounges do not sell marijuana but may offer equipment for customers as they consume in a communal setting.

Roach said a major part of the government move to legalize cannabis is to cut down on criminal activity. Including private businesses, like lounge owners, in that regulatory environment will help achieve that goal, she said.