Lounge

Lounge is a general, non-technical term for a venue where adults legally consume cannabis in a social setting, analogous to a bar for alcohol. Usage is inconsistent — "lounge" may refer to a formally licensed on-site consumption venue, an unlicensed "cannabis club" operating via BYOC gray areas, or a colloquial reference to any space permitting use. Regulators rarely use "lounge" in statute, preferring "cannabis consumption area" (NJ), "consumption lounge" (NV), "hospitality establishment" (CO), "social consumption establishment" (MA), or "on-site consumption establishment" (NY). Models include retail-attached lounges (Nevada, New Jersey, California under AB 1775), independent lounges (Nevada's ICCL category, New Mexico), BYOC (Colorado's initial hospitality model), and private membership clubs in states without formal licensing. West Hollywood's Original Cannabis Café, opened in 2019, is widely credited as the first fully-licensed U.S. cannabis consumption café. Alaska's Marijuana Control Board was the first to adopt statewide on-site consumption regulations in December 2018. Commercial success has been limited by high buildout costs, ventilation and Clean Indoor Air Act conflicts, 280E burden, and municipal opt-outs. → See also: Consumption lounge, Onsite consumption