New bill would allow for cannabis to be ‘catered’ at private events

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A new bill in the California legislature could pave the way for private events to have cannabis “catering.”

Assembly Bill 471 was authored by Assembly member Ash Karla (D-San Jose) and aims to amend existing cannabis laws to add language to allow for cannabis to be served at private events provided by licensed caterers, similar to hiring a company to cater food or beverages.

Currently, California law only allows for event organizers to provide cannabis themselves for temporary public events. If passed, the new rules would allow for cannabis companies to obtain catering licenses and offer those services at private events.

The proposal does have some restrictions, however. The events could not be hosted by the catering company itself and the company would not be permitted to advertise the event.

Companies would also be limited to only 36 private catering events at one specific location for the duration of a calendar year.

The area where cannabis is consumed would also need to be restricted to those 21 and older and the caterer would not be allowed to provide alcohol services.

The bill’s language also allows for the catering company to repurpose unused cannabis from one event to another.

It’s unclear if the bill will pass, but Weedzly, a cannabis retail and consumer advocacy website, says a similar proposal by Karla was rejected during the last legislative session.