{"id":280704,"date":"2026-04-22T19:24:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T19:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/280704\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T19:24:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T19:24:09","slug":"california-lawmakers-vote-to-allow-drive-thrus-at-marijuana-dispensaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/280704\/","title":{"rendered":"California Lawmakers Vote To Allow Drive-Thrus At Marijuana Dispensaries"},"content":{"rendered":"

A bill that would allow California marijuana stores to offer drive-thru windows to serve customers is advancing in the state legislature.<\/p>\n

The measure, which cleared the Assembly Business and Professions Committee in a 17-2 vote on Tuesday, says that licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses with storefronts can sell marijuana products \u201cto a customer in a motor vehicle in a drive-through located on the premises.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under AB 2697 from Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D), cannabis businesses would need approval from the local jurisdictions in which they operate in order to add the drive-thru option.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder current regulations, licensed cannabis retailers can offer curbside pickup as a remnant of the COVID pandemic adaptations. Despite this, licensed retailers generally cannot fulfill orders for customers sitting in their car in a drive through,\u201d Pellerin told colleagues ahead of the committee vote. \u201cAB 2697 seeks to address this regulatory inconsistency by allowing drive through cannabis sales subject to the local jurisdictions\u2019 approval.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRestrictions of the bill provide that these sales be done through a fixed pane, security window and security drawer and available for walk-in storefronts only,\u201d she said. \u201cAlong with addressing regulatory inconsistency, this bill will make legal cannabis more accessible and helps the legal market compete with the illicit market.\u201d<\/p>\n

Annie Aubrey of Chuck\u2019s Wellness Center, a retailer in Placerville, told lawmakers that \u201cat its core, this bill is about improving access.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA significant portion of our customers rely on cannabis as medicine, including seniors, veterans and individuals living with chronic conditions that affect mobility\u2014exactly the population this regulated system is meant to serve,\u201d she said. \u201cFor many, even simple tasks like exiting a vehicle and navigating a retail space can be physically difficult or prohibitive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA drive-thru option removes that barrier allowing patients and consumers to access what they need in a way that is dignified and consistent with their health needs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Amy O\u2019Gorman Jenkins of the California Cannabis Operators Association said that the panel should reject concerns that allowing drive-thru windows will somehow lead to impaired driving issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery cannabis transaction already begins and ends with a person arriving and departing, mostly in a vehicle,\u201d she said<\/a>. \u201cThere is no data indicating that the manner of purchase, whether inside, curbside or drive through changes consumer behavior behind the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bill<\/a> is now before the Assembly Appropriations Committee for consideration before potentially heading to a floor vote.<\/p>\n

\u2014
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.
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\u2014<\/p>\n

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), meanwhile, recently took credit for helping to lead the push for the state to legalize marijuana<\/a> and discussed his own limited experience with using cannabis.<\/p>\n

In October, however, Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed certain marijuana microbusinesses to ship medical cannabis products directly to patients<\/a>\u00a0via common carriers like FedEx and UPS, stating that the proposal \u201cwould be burdensome and overly complex to administer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newsom did sign a bill earlier that month aimed at\u00a0streamlining research on marijuana and psychedelics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In September, the governor also signed a measure into law to\u00a0put a pause on a recently enacted tax hike on marijuana products<\/a>.<\/p>\n

California officials recently awarded nearly $30 million in grants for marijuana-focused academic research projects<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.<\/p>\n

\"Become<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A bill that would allow California marijuana stores to offer drive-thru windows to serve customers is advancing in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280705,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,93],"class_list":{"0":"post-280704","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-california-headlines","10":"tag-california-news","11":"tag-featured"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}