Cannabis Café — America's first marijuana lounge — has opened in Portland, Ore., just weeks after President Obama announced he would defer to local laws in states that permit medicinal use of the drug. The club (located in the former home of an adult erotic speakeasy called Rumpspankers) is only open to members of the marijuana-legalization advocacy group, NORML, who are cleared to get medicinally high. But are Amsterdam-style pot cafes (with "budtenders" behind the bar) really what Obama had in mind? (Watch a local report about the Cannabis Cafe's opening)
Yes — everybody needs a place to relax: "This is an idea whose time has come," says Jac Chebatoris in Tonic, especially for cancer patients who use medicinal marijuana to regain their appetite post-chemo. Remember "Cheers"? People who smoke pot for their health deserve a place to go, where everybody knows their name.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.