SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Cannabis cafes could soon come to western Mass now that the state Cannabis Control Commission voted unanimously to approve social consumption regulations. That means yoga studios, music festivals, even coffee shops could soon offer marijuana.

Picture this: lighting up at your yoga class, cannabis lounges at music festivals, even coffee shops serving pot, Thursday’s vote makes all of that possible.

The new regulations allow businesses to apply for licenses to offer cannabis consumption on-site. That includes one-day permits for festivals and outdoor events. As we learned on Thursday night, Easthampton Mayor Salem Derby said his city is excited about the possibilities, “I think there is a decent fit for movement activities like yoga, doing meditative things, even having group outdoor exercise classes, bike rides on the bike path, those types of things.”

Not everyone is celebrating, some community members are worried about the smell or people driving high.

Springfield Police Spokesperson Ryan Walsh said the department will treat these venues similar to bars, “I mean, our officers are out there every night. If they see someone driving erratically, they don’t target these bars, or which would be cannabis cafes in any way. But if they see someone driving erratically, one, it’s on your own self to police yourself to make sure that you take an Uber or find another way home if you’re intoxicated, whether it be alcohol or weed. And it’s also going to be on the onus of whether it’s a bar owner, manager, bartender or the person serving these cafes, to make sure that someone isn’t over-served as well. And if they are, to ensure that they don’t leave on their own fruition and get into a car. So, you know, those issues, they’ll come up with it.”

Cities and towns will now decide whether to allow these cannabis cafes in their communities. That means local officials could soon be making decisions about whether one opens near you.

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