# In a state with legal recreational cannabis, could a bar sell edibles?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 23, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321 "2022-04-23T17:07:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/1 "2022-04-23T17:07:01Z")

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Just this - they sell intoxicating substances as a business. Could they add edibles to their list of libations? How close are we to such a situation?

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**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/2 "2022-04-23T17:19:06Z")

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I hope not. Intoxication takes way too long. Unless the patron is willing to wait hours for the THC to kick in, it is worthless as a social lubricant. A customer could leave the bar sober and the effects might very well take effect on the drive home.

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**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/3 "2022-04-23T17:19:19Z")

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Depends what the law said. In Canada, some provinces did specifically also allow the sale of edibles, but like the smoking variety, sales are limited to exclusive pot stores - not bars. (So I’ve read. I have no interest in this stuff.) We even have public service commercials warning people that pot gummy bears are not for children…

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/4 "2022-04-23T17:31:09Z")

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In the states I’m aware of, dispenseries are highly regulated. It’s like going to a bank, with security and tellers and careful documentation of who us purchasing what. Not conducive to a bar.

Otherwise, Elmer is spot on about the time frames involved. It would be a bad idea.

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**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/5 "2022-04-23T17:40:25Z")

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There are drinks that contain thc that most likely intoxicate the user at about the same rate as alcoholic drinks. Those, then?

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**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/6 "2022-04-23T20:06:41Z")

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Not here in Michigan, nor any other state were it is legalized that I am aware of. As noted before the sale and distribution is regulated such that it must be purchased at a state controled store where it is taxed and consumed in a private non-business location. You can’t walk down the street smoking a joint or smoke one in the outside smoking area of a bar.

Still patrans have been known to add various intoxicating things to their drinks and sneak a vape or two in a bar. Or so I have been told. 😉

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**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/7 "2022-04-23T20:23:01Z")

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I live in Oregon. If you mean a pool-table tavern, I think that would be a very bad idea.

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**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/8 "2022-04-23T20:44:20Z")

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In New Jersey the sale of alcohol is highly regulated. Now the sale of marijuana is also highly regulated. In theory they could make it so you could sell both in the same location but it would need statutory change at the state level.

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**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/9 "2022-04-23T21:16:05Z")

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In my experience, getting stoned and then drinking (or vice versa) can get one pretty fucked up. I.E. you might blow .07 but be much more impaired than that would imply. I’m down with most drugs, but adding one at a location that you need transport to (bars) and that encourage consumption there (bars) seems like a bad idea.

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**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/10 "2022-04-23T22:50:16Z")

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Just read the MT laws, and remembered that the dispensary I went to Tuesday (for the first time) was sharing a wall with a brewery tasting room! Looks like, at a cursory reading, that there is no reason you couldn’t have a dispensary that you entered through a bar. I think it needs to be a dedicated facility, though, so you couldn’t sell stuff at the bar? Fees for a MJ outlet–$5000. Fees for a liquor license? $1,000,000.

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**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/11 "2022-04-24T03:22:11Z")

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Oregon is one of those states where the sale of hard liquor is only done through state sponsored stores. No hard liquor at Safeway or Costco.

The OLCC in Oregon was formerly called the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. Next time you are in a bar in Oregon look at the seal on the permits. The OLCC is now the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission.

Give it time and it will be monetized beyond the current pot shops.

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/12 "2022-04-24T03:57:13Z")

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Are there? Genuine question. My experience with pot is solely of the smoking kind, and greatly outdated. Are there THC drinks that get you stoned like alcohol?

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**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/13 "2022-04-24T13:03:56Z")

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Yes. A brief check on Leafy lists several. [THC and CBD Drinks: Weed Sodas, Tonics & More Online | Leafly](https://www.leafly.com/products/edibles/beverages?msclkid=9ace402cc3ce11ec9fa82e74dfce8f44)  
My question is not one of advocacy but curiosity/legality, but it seems that the lines around various intoxicants are definitely hazy.

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/14 "2022-04-24T13:30:46Z")

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I’ve heard some talk in NY about 2 classes of dispensaries, one would be sale only, the second one would allow onsite use. These would not be bars and I doubt they would be allowed together, but perhaps a place that allows on site use would allow eatables.

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**Author:** ![Joeu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joeu/32/2911_2.png) [@Joeu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joeu)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/15 "2022-04-25T14:06:49Z")

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> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Are there THC drinks that get you stoned like alcohol?

I’ve tried them. They don’t get you stoned like alcohol, but like THC. And although some of them (a couple of tasty seltzers I’ve tried) claim that they take effect more quickly than edibles do, they are still much slower than alcohol (and MUCH slower than smoking or vaping).

The dosage of THC also tends to be pretty low, so if you have any kind of existing tolerance to THC, it takes a minimum of a whole can or bottle to get a very mild high, at least 20 minutes after finishing a whole 12 ounces. If you wanted the effect of (say) half a joint, you’d have to quickly down two or three cans of soda on an empty stomach, and then wait to see if that was enough.

Of course, people’s reactions to different dosages can vary widely with edibles (and drinkables), and even the same person’s response can vary depending on what’s in your stomach at the time, how hydrated you are, and of course set and setting.

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**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/16 "2022-04-25T14:46:29Z")

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Totally dependent on that state’s laws, just like all the weirdness with alcohol sales that’s already out there.

One state may allow edibles in bars every day of the week, another may restrict everything to dispensaries that are only open every third Sunday when the moon is in the waning gibbous phase. A third may allow for weed-infused vodka to be sold only in bars.

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**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/17 "2022-04-25T14:51:25Z")

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> [@Tride](#):
>
> Fees for a MJ outlet–$5000. Fees for a liquor license? $1,000,000.

I’m sure this is state-specific, but … CITE? I worked at a dispo (Michigan) and I guarantee you the annual MJ biz license was **NOT 5K** fer sure.

(Or are the ^^ numbers reversed?)

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/18 "2022-04-25T15:08:41Z")

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> [@Joeu](#):
>
> I’ve tried them. They don’t get you stoned like alcohol, but like THC.

I phrased that poorly. I meant “intoxicated” like alcohol does, but not in the same manner as alcohol. Feeling high is definitely different than feeling buzzed. Interesting. I’ve seen the CBD drinks around, but not the THC ones. And, with regards to the Delta-8 mentioned before, that does nothing for me (and I don’t use THC much at all – maybe once every few years.) I was out in Houston a few weeks ago with some Canadians who were trying to score some weed and were only able to find some Delta-8. I warned them that the stuff is unlikely to do anything (they were completely unfamiliar with the stuff), and all four of them the next day said they didn’t feel the least bit of effect from it. I haven’t heard a positive thing about it yet from any regular pot smokers. (As far as individual reactions to pot – I totally understand. I usually get high off of just one hit and don’t do much because about 20% of the time I get a paranoid, panic-attack high. But the last time I had some indica – as I’ve heard it less likely to produce a “head rush” type of high – I had three .5g pre-rolls from a dispensary in the course of two hours with nary an effect on me. Bizarre.)

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**Author:** ![Joeu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joeu/32/2911_2.png) [@Joeu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joeu)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/19 "2022-04-25T15:42:36Z")

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> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> I had three .5g pre-rolls from a dispensary in the course of two hours with nary an effect on me. Bizarre

That is bizarre indeed!

To the OP’s question, I think, as others have said, that the long delay, and the unpredictability, from edibles would make it kind of useless to have them sold at bars. Back in the long-ago when I had my experiences with “coffee shops” in Amsterdam, they definitely sold edibles, but I think most people were taking them away to eat later and elsewhere, or else eating them and then going out to enjoy the world later in the day while enjoying the effects.

I think more likely ( but still not very likely) would be for a bar to have a smoking room for the partaking. But it all remains to be seen. At least here in NYC, at least as the legacy of former mayors, the rules against smoking anything at all anywhere at all (just about) are pretty firm.

I was thinking last night about things like baseball games. Long ago, at Shea, it was pretty well established that you could go up to the upper levels which were unoccupied and enjoy a joint. But that was at a time when you could also smoke (tobacco, legally almost everywhere, and weed depending on the theater) in the balcony of movie theaters. And there were designated areas (stinky) where smoking cigarettes was fine at Shea. Now you can’t smoke anything at Citifield, anywhere, except the parking lot (even that is not really strictly legal, I think, but it’s tolerated).

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**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-state-with-legal-recreational-cannabis-could-a-bar-sell-edibles/963321/20 "2022-04-25T16:47:09Z")

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In Massachusetts, the law (specifically, the law used for licensing of consumption establishments) says, “a Marijuana Social Consumption Establishment may not sell alcohol or tobacco products.” Which seems wise.

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