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A bill that would allow California marijuana stores to offer drive-thru windows to serve customers is advancing in the state legislature.
The measure, which cleared the Assembly Business and Professions Committee in a 17-2 vote on Tuesday, says that licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses with storefronts can sell marijuana products “to a customer in a motor vehicle in a drive-through located on the premises.”
Under AB 2697 from Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D), cannabis businesses would need approval from the local jurisdictions in which they operate in order to add the drive-thru option.
“Under current regulations, licensed cannabis retailers can offer curbside pickup as a remnant of the COVID pandemic adaptations. Despite this, licensed retailers generally cannot fulfill orders for customers sitting in their car in a drive through,” Pellerin told colleagues ahead of the committee vote. “AB 2697 seeks to address this regulatory inconsistency by allowing drive through cannabis sales subject to the local jurisdictions’ approval.”
“Restrictions of the bill provide that these sales be done through a fixed pane, security window and security drawer and available for walk-in storefronts only,” she said. “Along with addressing regulatory inconsistency, this bill will make legal cannabis more accessible and helps the legal market compete with the illicit market.”
Annie Aubrey of Chuck’s Wellness Center, a retailer in Placerville, told lawmakers that “at its core, this bill is about improving access.”
“A significant portion of our customers rely on cannabis as medicine, including seniors, veterans and individuals living with chronic conditions that affect mobility—exactly the population this regulated system is meant to serve,” she said. “For many, even simple tasks like exiting a vehicle and navigating a retail space can be physically difficult or prohibitive.”
“A drive-thru option removes that barrier allowing patients and consumers to access what they need in a way that is dignified and consistent with their health needs,” she said.
Amy O’Gorman Jenkins of the California Cannabis Operators Association said that the panel should reject concerns that allowing drive-thru windows will somehow lead to impaired driving issues.
“Every cannabis transaction already begins and ends with a person arriving and departing, mostly in a vehicle,” she said. “There is no data indicating that the manner of purchase, whether inside, curbside or drive through changes consumer behavior behind the wheel.”
The bill is now before the Assembly Appropriations Committee for consideration before potentially heading to a floor vote.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), meanwhile, recently took credit for helping to lead the push for the state to legalize marijuana and discussed his own limited experience with using cannabis.
In October, however, Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed certain marijuana microbusinesses to ship medical cannabis products directly to patients via common carriers like FedEx and UPS, stating that the proposal “would be burdensome and overly complex to administer.”
Newsom did sign a bill earlier that month aimed at streamlining research on marijuana and psychedelics.
In September, the governor also signed a measure into law to put a pause on a recently enacted tax hike on marijuana products.
California officials recently awarded nearly $30 million in grants for marijuana-focused academic research projects.
Tom Angell is the editor of Marijuana Moment. A 25-year veteran in the cannabis and drug law reform movement, he covers the policy, politics, science and culture of marijuana, psychedelics and other substances. He previously reported for Forbes, Marijuana.com and MassRoots, and was given the Hunter S. Thompson Media Award by NORML and has been named Journalist of the Year by Americans for Safe Access. As an activist, Tom founded the nonprofit Marijuana Majority and handled media relations, campaigns and lobbying for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
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