The city of Long Beach could become the first in Southern California to let visitors smoke marijuana at public events. Mekahlo Medina reports for the NBC4 News at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024.
Long Beach native Snoop Dogg just turned 53 on Oct. 20, but if the Long Beach City Council moves fast enough, he’ll be able to celebrate No. 54 by smoking a blunt in public legally.
“In 2019, we started this conversation with the city and they were actually looking into it, but COVID shut it down,” said Pam Chotiswatdi, a cannabis educator with Long Beach Green Room. “Bringing this birthday party, picked it up where we left off.”
Four years later, allowing any public event to have permitted cannabis use is back in front of the city council. In August, the council unanimously agreed to commission a study to see how the permit might work and how the city could manage and benefit from it.
“We are looking to put Long Beach in a place to win,” said Al Austin, Long Beach City Councilmember. “It’s an economic opportunity that we see for businesses and large events."
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Currently, state law allows temporary permits but only with approval from the local city.
Last month, the state fair in Sacramento made history by becoming the first fair in the country to allow cannabis to be sold and consumed onsite. It was deemed a big success with more than 80,000 people attending.
“It shows California is a forward-thinking state. Long Beach is a forward-thinking city and this is an opportunity to make Long Beach an entertainment destination,” said Austin.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
The city council could get something on the books by the end of the year.
Cannabis stores like Green Room hope it will lead to cannabis lounges where people can gather and consume cannabis anytime they want.
