Consumption Lounges In West Hollywood Are Ready For A Post-Pandemic Roar

Months before the pandemic took over the world, California’s cannabis space was looking to adopt cannabis consumption lounges and cafes to align with the state’s progressive motions regarding the plant. 

One, in particular, was Lowell Cafe, which was also the country’s first cannabis consumption lounge. When the cafe made its grand opening a few months before the pandemic, Californians were thrilled to finally have a social setting revolving around cannabis. 

And yes, this means all sorts of preferred methods of ingestion were available and permitted, from joints to bongs, pipes, edibles, and even dab rigs; it was a sweet dub for pot users in California. According to Eater Los Angeles, there were also flower hosts that rolled custom joints for tables. 

It’s no surprise these businesses were thriving before the pandemic, especially since California had a concise and easy application process that allows 10 dispensaries and 16 consumption lounges in West Hollywood alone. 

All was fine and dandy until we entered lockdown numerous times due to COVID-19, which halted these businesses from operating due to strict government guidelines about social distancing, masking, and trying to reduce transmission. 

Now that we’re finally beginning to see a brighter future with businesses opening back up and getting on their feet again, there’s a whole new batch of consumption lounges eager to open in West Hollywood. Don’t be surprised when consumption lounges and cafes begin ruling WeHo, from small-scale to large-scale operations. 

According to Eater Los Angeles, the first consumption lounge to open in WeHo after the pandemic was Artist Tree. The company already has four operating dispensaries in SoCal, but its Santa Monica flagship dispensary is up and running as a full-fledged consumption lounge.

Reports say Artist Tree also plans to move operations and consumption lounges in the Conservatory space. However, to fall in line with state and municipal guidelines, these lounges will only operate a certain distance away from the sidewalk. 

What’s pretty impressive is that Artist Tree was the first company to be approved for every cannabis-related license given in West Hollywood, which could bring a whole new and easier process for other cannabis cafes and lounges. The entire list of applications Artist Tree has received are as follows;

• adult-use retail
• medical retail
• delivery
• a complete cannabis consumption lounge
• an edibles lounge that’s half designated for non-smoking