Sara Stewart is an innovator in public consumption lounges for the burgeoning cannabis industry. We caught up with Sara again recently…
CEDR: Since we last spoke, can you share an update on what you’ve been working on and give a little insight on each of the markets where consumption lounges are operating or are in the works?
Sara: Vegas unfortunately is not nearly as far along as either California or Illinois. My work in Vegas so far has included a lot of regulatory work, speaking with different governing bodies, going over operational procedures and giving my assistance as they are starting to develop their licensing process.
I talked to a few retail associations and gave them a rundown on cleaning devices and usage during service and why that is going to be a really big factor moving forward. There was also some discussion as Vegas was trying to decide if they were going to allow bongs in their venues or not.
And finally, I signed on full time with GTI (Green Thumb Industries). I’m helping them as a Project Specialist for on-site experiences. The first project that we rolled out was in Mundelein, Illinois. It’s attached to the first dispensary in the state of Illinois, Rise. We’ve built out a very small 15-to-20-person consumption lounge. We’re considering it a speakeasy of sorts. Then in a month or two, we are going to roll out a larger space as well. It’s going to be a bit more communal. We’ll have a dab bar and a coffee bar. And that’s going to be the first of many lounges that we roll out in Illinois.
CEDR: Are edibles and drinks available in the consumption lounge?
Sara: Early on, we decided that we were not going to sell or allow any kind of edible consumption in the lounge space. Of course, you can still buy edibles in the dispensary, but they are not to be consumed on site. In part, this speaks to the 90-minute table limits we’ve established and ensuring that we are not allowing for overconsumption. What I’ve seen in terms of products is that most people who are coming into lounges either want to smoke flower or they want to dab. It’s that oral fixation of, “look at me, I’m doing this in public”.
Fast acting drinks are part of the game plan, but edibles are not.
CEDR: Is there an emerging market that intrigues you?
Sara: I’m very excited about New York. In both West Hollywood and even Las Vegas there are a lot of rules around the visibility of smoking lounges and being able to have street facing patios. Thus, consumption lounges are going to have to be hidden more or less.
New York seems to be less concerned with that, as I believe you can physically consume in the middle of Times Square right now. I think that’s going to put them a little ahead of the game because they won’t have those physical boundaries that West Hollywood and Vegas are implementing; making it harder for establishments to come in and be able to play. Right now, the location / real estate aspect is truly one of the biggest hurdles.
CEDR: Thanks so much for your perspectives. We look forward to catching up with you again soon.
