Cannabis lounges continue to pop up across the US as the market evolves
Fall has now become a much anticipated period among cannabis enthusiasts in Ventura County. Port Hueneme is destined to become the place where the first marijuana consumption lounge will open during that date. More and more places around the country are joining this trend, giving access to many cannabis lovers to have a safe place to go and consume their favorite drug.
The Wheelhouse cannabis dispensary had applied for a conditional use permit to operate a consumption lounge adjacent to its location on West Channel Islands Boulevard. Fortunately for the business, that permit was unanimously approved by the City Council on Monday. The approval also included a development agreement for the lounge, which will go before the council for a final reading early next month.
If given the green light, Wheelhouse CEO Zahur Lalji says the salon could be scheduled to open in November. Cannabis lounges have already been established in many parts of the state, including San Francisco and West Hollywood. However, Lalji says this opening is relevant because the Wheelhouse lounge will be the first in the county if it receives final approval in October.
City officials anticipate that business will pick up once the salon opens its doors. “We’re pretty innovative,” Mayor Richard W. Rollins said Monday. “I suspect there will be people coming from quite a distance.”
Tony Stewart, Port Hueneme’s community development director, said there’s a chance a second dispensary could follow in the same footsteps and bisque to open its own marijuana lounge. Its conditional use permit is likely to go before the council later this year, he said.