Palm Springs is moving toward giving cannabis consumption lounges a much bigger role in the city’s entertainment scene.
The Palm Springs City Council unanimously approved an ordinance on first reading that would allow every cannabis consumption lounge, regardless of size, to prepare and sell non-cannabis food and beverages, offer live entertainment and host up to 24 ticketed events each year.
The proposal could make some Palm Springs cannabis lounges look a lot more like traditional entertainment venues. The timing is also notable because the city’s cannabis tax revenue has dropped sharply in recent years, and officials are looking for ways to keep the industry competitive.
The proposed rules would still require security, ventilation and odor controls. Alcohol and tobacco would remain prohibited.
But expanding what cannabis lounges can offer is raising questions about how those businesses could affect nearby homes and other businesses throughout Palm Springs.
Tammy Bleck, owner of Sherlock Homes Watch, said she could see the appeal of allowing lounges to operate more like entertainment venues, but she worries about where those businesses are located.
“Yes, I do. It sounds like fun to me,” Bleck said when asked whether cannabis lounges should be allowed to operate like bars or entertainment clubs.
But she quickly added a concern about lounges located near residential neighborhoods, saying residents “didn’t sign up for parties and all kinds of hoopla.”
HR professional Cherie Johnson said she is still undecided, but one of her biggest questions involves odor.
She questioned how lounges will control the smell and prevent it from affecting nearby homes and businesses. Johnson also noted that it appeared the City Council’s action differed from staff recommendations, raising another question about how the new rules will be regulated.
Bleck described the potential outcome as something that could be “a hot mess,” a disaster or “quite wonderful.”
For Palm Springs and the broader Coachella Valley, the debate comes down to finding a balance between supporting the cannabis industry and protecting surrounding neighborhoods and businesses.
The city is moving forward, but whether the expanded rules become a boost for Palm Springs entertainment or create new headaches for nearby residents remains an open question.
Explore: NBCPalmSprings.com, where we are connecting the Valley.
By: NBC Palm Springs
August 19, 2026
