Californians are just one signature away from Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes opening in the state sometime next year.

Legislation headed to governor Gavin Newsom’s office for final approval will give marijuana dispensaries the ability to convert their businesses into cafes where they can sell food and cannabis products and host live concerts. The bill cleared the California Senate on a 33-3 vote on Monday and the General Assembly on a final vote of 66-9.

The bill’s author, Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), said the legislation would allow struggling pharmacies to generate more sales tax revenue for the state.

While it is not technically illegal for customers to consume cannabis in a dispensary, it is illegal for a dispensary to sell non-cannabis products such as coffee or food.

Assembly Bill 374 will allow pharmacies to move away from a pharmacy-like business model to a more inviting business model. The bill does not allow cannabis cafes to serve alcohol and coffee shops are not allowed to sell cannabis. Dispensaries will still have to comply with local jurisdictions and cannot operate in places where pot shops are prohibited.

The cafe model will give pharmacies an additional tool to serve customers, Haney said.

Many people want to enjoy legal cannabis in the company of others, Haney said in a statement. And many people want to do that while drinking coffee, eating a scone or listening to music. There is absolutely no good reason from an economic, health or safety perspective that the state should make this illegal. If a licensed cannabis store also wants to sell a cup of coffee and a sandwich, we must give cities the opportunity to make that possible and stop holding these small businesses back.

There are more than 700 coffee shops across the Netherlands that sell cannabis, and the companies generate sales of more than a billion dollars each year, Haney said.

His bill aims to replace a medical-marijuana-only culture with a more relaxed, social environment similar to that of Dutch cafes, Haney said.

“There’s just a huge opportunity to bring people into these establishments to safely and legally consume cannabis, and at the same time, create a community and a culture,” Haney told The Times.

The city of West Hollywood launched its own cannabis lounge program in 2018 with a limited number of licenses. But Haney said current regulations hinder how these businesses can operate because a lounge is not allowed to prepare food on-site.

In West Hollywood, cannabis cafes are using solutions to serve food and drinks. At the Artist Tree Dispensary & Weed Delivery on Santa Monica Boulevard, pot smokers can hang out in the second-floor lounge as if they were dining in a restaurant. People can order food from Fresh Corn Grill, a restaurant that has a deal with the Artist Tree.

That’s why we have plated food available. We recreate the experience of a restaurant even though we’re not the ones selling the food, says Lauren Fontein, co-owner of the Artist Tree. We just have to tighten the process a bit to get there.

While the experience is great for the customers, Fontein says, the proceeds go to the restaurant and not to her business.

“That’s the big problem and that’s why this bill is very important. Food and drink is a big part of the revenue scheme and we couldn’t take advantage of that now.

Dispensaries can’t make progress because they’re trying to compete with restaurants, bars and the illicit market, Haney said.

“The current laws are arbitrary and irrational,” he said, “and downright harmful to this legal cannabis industry that we need to survive and thrive in our state.”

If approved by Newsom, the cannabis café law will go into effect on January 1, 2024.

Los Angeles Times staff writer Noah Gold contributed to this report.