Cancel your flight to Amsterdam the U.S. just got its first marijuana cafe on Friday. Located in Portland, Ore., the Cannabis Cafe shows how attitudes have changed since the Obama administration moved into the White House. A month ago, President Barack Obama told federal attorneys to ease off medical marijuana prosecutions.The widening use of medicinal marijuana has forced governments into a tenuous legal balancing act, according to a Reuters report. Some states passed legislation to allow it, starting with California in 1996. Nonetheless, a federal ban remains in place. The operation of businesses like the Cannabis Cafe, as well as marijuana establishments in California, has been possible as long as federal authorities have chosen not to pursue them. Unlike the shops in California, though, the Portland establishment is the first in the U.S. where certified medical marijuana users can both acquire and consume their marijuana, as long as they stay out of public view.Madeline Martinez, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in Oregon, says that the Cannabis Club "represents personal freedom, finally, for our members." NORML supports legislation to legalize marijuana."Our plans go beyond serving food and marijuana," Martinez continues. "We hope to have classes, seminars, even a Cannabis Community College, based here to help people learn about growing and other uses for cannabis."The Food is For Sale, but the Pot is FreeThe Cannabis Cafe's new home is a two-story building with an interesting past. Once upon a time, it was occupied by a speakeasy, and later, an adult entertainment club called Rumpspankers. The Cannabis Cafe is a private club, but any Oregon resident who is a member of NORML and has an official medical marijuana card can gain entry.Members pay $25 a month for use of the cafe, which has a capacity of 100. The product offered is not sold. Rather, it's provided free over the counter from the "budtenders" employed by the establishment. Food, of course, is available for purchase, but the club doesn't have a liquor license. (Why bother?)The potential market for the Cannabis Cafe is small, but likely committed. Approximately 21,000 patients are registered to use medical marijuana in Oregon, with doctors prescribing the drug for a wide range of illnesses, among them Alzheimer's, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and Tourette's syndrome.Eric Solomon, the proprietor, says he still just runs a coffee shop and events venue, as he did before he converted it to the current format, but he says, "now it will be cannabis-themed." Film festivals and dances are expected for the second floor ballroom, not to mentioned marijuana-themed weddings.Neighboring businesses have mixed feelings about the new cafe, but they are hopeful that it will benefit them, too. David Bell, who works at a nearby boutique, is "withholding judgment." He notes, "There's no precedent for it. We don't know what to expect. But it would great if it brought some customers into our store."
First U.S. marijuana cafe opens for business in Portland
- Thread starter StealthT5
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stalebiscuit
Well-Known Member
so, obama is responsible for this? ya dont think so, obama still sucks and whatever, pot is still illegal for the most part. also, ten bucks says this gets shut down instantly if its true
mkay420
Active Member
as its for medical users and the DEA is no longer pursuing medicinal users or dispensaries in medical states (oregon) i dont think that this will be shut down. and it is true i saw it on the news yesterday. as a matter of facti dont think that the police can even enter this club without consent or warrant as its a private club and not open to public. even if it does get shut down there will be MANY to follow.its pretty cool that if you are a member of norml the n you can get in. i like the fact they dont sell weed there but just give it away!! how cool is that? they must be bankin on the munchies! i would go there every day and just buy food and smoke for free. what a great place!
No doubt we need to make a few more states medical states!! Go buy space cake and brownies and then smoke free white rhino who can pass that up???
stalebiscuit
Well-Known Member
i dont think id ever spend 3000 dollars to smoke weed id just get it here, like i already do fuck it, i dont care if weed is legal or not
Ronjohn7779
Well-Known Member
Amsterdam can suck my left one. It's in a fucked up country. I'd rather be in the USA. I say nice call portland...if only visitors could get weed there...one day that will happen.
mkay420
Active Member
no i dont think that people from outsid eoregon will be able to participate at the cafe yet. of course i really have no clue and thats just an assumption. if you think about it though, it owuld only be legal for the business to allow oregon med cards due to the fact that the government might actually care if people are usuing their cards outside of the respective state the card is from.. that alone would make it illegal. i think once the united states government legalizes medicinal marijuana on a federal level these types of places will be able to take people from other medicinal states. eventually after this happnes you may see cannabis cafe chains sprouting up in legal states around the country. that would be cool for a couple reasons.first: the more money these types of places make the more taxes they will be giving to state governments, after seeing this non-legal states may decide they want a piece of this action and follow.second: this will create competition between these types of businesses and this will in turn drive prices down. the more competitive it gets the more incentives these types of places will use to get people to come to their cafe instead of another. eventually you may see things at these places begin to be sold as specials and such... ie: instead of a sampler of beer or an appetizer sampler they will sell weed in a similar fashion. different types will go on special at different times and youll be able to get a sampler of weed for aonly a few dollars a gram....of course this is all me guessing and i really have no clue what will happen. sure is fun to think about though...
DJBoxhouse
Well-Known Member
You don't have to win every battle to fight the war - even if it gets shut down, the fact that it was opened *if it was* is a great step forward. I'm excited to see what happens in the following years to come with marijuana legislation.
stoneyganjah
Member
NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! glad to see the first dispensary club opening up in Portland.. there's wayy tooo much in California, and not only that but ALOT ALOT in LOS ANGELES
OregonMeds
Well-Known Member
I want to know how to become a supplier to my new neighbors. I have a couple extra pounds...
mkay420
Active Member
find out who owns the place and contact them... im sure they will want as many people competing for their business as possible...
jrinlv
Well-Known Member
Am I the only one who doesn't get it. I thought a cannabis club was open to the public and a dispensary you have to have a valid medical card which is what this is right, a dispensary for medicine? If that s the case it's not the first one to open it's about the 3000 one to open, and last I knew you did not need a medical card to go to a coffee shop in Amsterdam.. Please let me know if I'm not reading this right, I don't see what the big deal is...JR
OregonMeds
Well-Known Member
It's the first and only one in this state. Dispensaries aren't legal here, but they're trying to run around the law with the way it's arranged. I hope it works out for them, sure is dangerous being the first though.
jrinlv
Well-Known Member
The title says "the first U.S. marijuana cafe opens in Portland" how is it the first? (I know the first in the state but thats not what the title is saying) and it's not a cafe like the OP states in the first sentence " don't bother going to Amsterdam". So Good For people in Oregon ( Portland area) with a medical card and NORML memberships right?
Fred Flintstoner
Active Member
I wonder if that weed is shwag or actually some nice kind bud? 