Prospects Hazy For New Business Model

We all know that Washington State recently legalized the possession and use of marijuana. What no one knows is how that’s supposed to work. But that’s not stopping some bars in Washington, including at least one in Tacoma, from trying their own models.

There are several challenges to businesses that would like to allow the use of marijuana on their premises. Not least of these is the fact that although the state has legalized pot, the federal government still very much considers it illegal to possess or use marijuana. Aside from the federal questions, there’s the fact that Washington State still hasn’t yet set up a system for licensing, selling, and taxing marijuana. And it’s still illegal to consume marijuana in public spaces. And then there’s the smoking ban…

The Stonegate Pizza & Rum Bar on South Tacoma Way is trying out a model that it hopes will answer some of these questions.

The second floor of the Stonegate has been turned into a “smoking lounge.” The Stonegate website proudly calls it “the first marijuana vapor club in the country. The “vape club” is being operated as a private club, although with reasonably priced “membership” options from $1 a day to $20 a year for access, it’s not exactly exclusive. There’s no actual smoking allowed in the “smoking lounge,” due to the indoor smoking ban, so the marijuana is vaporized (heated, but not burned). According to a recent TNT article, if you’ve got medical authorization for the stuff, you can buy from the proprietor of a medical marijuana dispensary, conveniently located right there in the bar. If you don’t have an authorization, you can bring your own stuff and rent a vaporizer.

Tacoma’s code enforcement is reviewing the operations at the Stonegate, but there’s no word just yet on whether they’ve found anything they object to. We went through a similar conversation about zoning for medical cannabis dispensaries and gardens last year, but the final decision ended up getting tabled. The state of Washington won’t set rules for regulation and licensing of marijuana sales until later this year. There’s no definitive word from the federal level on how they plan to deal with state-level legalization…

So, since that’s all a little hazy, how about the court of public opinion? How do you feel about a business plan like the Stonegate?