Arcata is revisiting its cannabis rules to potentially allow consumption lounges in the city, a move that comes not long after one noticeable smoking lounge along U.S. Highway 101 in Eureka shuttered. The item is on the agenda for the next council meeting on Wednesday evening.

“The city is now beginning to receive interest from local businesses, including one existing operator and one prospective applicant seeking authorization for onsite consumption,” the staff report for the agenda states. “Additionally, the proposed amendments would allow for temporary onsite cannabis consumption at events such as Cannifest, consistent with state law.”

It’s unclear which dispensaries are seeking to create consumption lounges.

Cannifest recently announced it will hold the annual festival in Arcata this year. It’s been in Eureka for the past few years. There was some brief excitement about it potentially being in Blue Lake this year, but negotiations were less than successful.

“We’re not doing licensed sales or consumption at the event,” Cannifest organizer Steve Geider told the Times-Standard on Saturday morning. “And that won’t change.”

Both state and local permitting will be required for temporary onsite consumption at events such as Cannifest.

Both the temporary consumption sites for events and onsite indoor consumption lounges would be subject to a list of rules and regulations, including bans around the sale of alcohol and prohibitions on smoking for anyone younger than 21.

Onsite lounges must follow specific ventilation rules, smoking can’t be within 1,000 feet of schools or day cares while children are present, and onsite consumption must not be visible from public areas.

The city sees several benefits from the change, according to the staff report, including “enhancing public safety and livability by providing regulated, enclosed locations for cannabis consumption” and “reducing conflicts and impacts associated with unregulated or public cannabis smoking.”

The new rules, if approved on Wednesday, could also boost economic development and make it easier to enforce rules around cannabis consumption, the city asserts: “These standards are intended to provide clear guidance to applicants, enforcement staff, and the public regarding where and under what conditions onsite cannabis consumption may occur and are further intended to support local cannabis businesses in exploring ways to diversify and expand their operations.”

The changes would not require new staffing or infrastructure. The permitting program is funded through the permit fees.

The agenda packet for Wednesday’s meeting is at https://tinyurl.com/ydem5pjj.

Ruth Schneider can be reached at 707-441-0520.