Springs city council to decide on allowing social cannabis consumption lounges

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Starting in 2020, Colorado businesses can allow customers to consume cannabis products on their property, but first local municipalities have to decide whether or not they want to allow these so-called "pot lounges."

In 2019, the Colorado legislature approved House Bill 1230, which allowed businesses to apply for a social consumption license, basically letting them become weed bars. One Colorado Springs business has already successfully applied for the license.

Studio A64 is one of two weed lounges in the Springs and was the first in the state to apply for the social consumption license. Currently they allow people to bring in their own cannabis and consume it on their property. Jason Warf, the executive director for Southern Colorado Cannabis Council and spokesperson for Studio A64, says the owners are hoping to expand that.

"It's a passion of theirs [the owners] to provide a safe space," says Warf.

However, it will be up to Colorado Springs City Council to make the final decision on if they want these social consumer lounges in the city. Mayor John Suthers says he is vehemently against the idea, saying if approved it could negatively impact our relationship with the military; but he says three to four council members would vote for it. Suthers says they would need the majority to vote in approval for this to pass.

"Hopefully there are not six," Suthers says about the vote, "They would need six [votes] because if there is only five it would not overcome my veto."

Suthers expects the vote to happen sometime in early 2020.

Manitou Springs, on the other hand, has no intention of discussing the matter for the now. Current Mayor Ken Jaray says city council has not even considered voting on the measure, saying they are focused on other issues for the city. However, he says it may be discussed more in the future once the new mayor and three new city council members come into the fold in mid-January.