Summit Lounge is state’s first cannabis smoking lounge

Date: 10/24/2018

Note: This is another installment of The Reminder’s on-going series on marijuana in the Commonwealth.

WORCESTER – Kyle Moon, the general manager of the Summit Lounge, looked surprised when the word “pioneer” is applied to him and his family, but eventually he agreed to accept it.

Moon and his family operate the Commonwealth’s first cannabis smoking lounge. It’s a business that fits into the Commonwealth’s laws concerning marijuana and it complies with the ordinances of the city of Worcester.

It may reflect the part of the future the Commonwealth will be facing with an increased presence of cannabis once retail stores are open

In business for seven months, the lounge is a private smoking club for “anything that is legal to smoke in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” he said. Following the rules established for a private smoking club, Summit members could smoke cigarettes, cigars, hookah and cannabis.   

Cannabis is not for sale at the club nor does Moon or any of this staff tell people where marijuana can be bought. He said between 10 to 15 people come to his door a week asking where to buy marijuana and Moon turns them away without comment.

The lounge, which is located at 116 Water St., “did what any other business would do,” Moon explained in terms of fulfilling the city’s and state’s health and public safety regulations.

In the brave new world of marijuana, Moon said that municipalities don’t receive much guidance from the Commonwealth about businesses such as his.

He noted that applying for the use of tobacco required compliance with many regulations and there was a prohibition on flavored tobaccos.

“We just want to consume cannabis with like-minded people,” he said. The business is a social club, he added

One of the problems on the road to acceptance is that marijuana, despite its use and legal status, has been stigmatized by the war on drug, he said.

The lounge resembles a coffee house with several separate seating areas. There is an area upfront by the door, another that Moon dubbed the library, a game room and a main area in the rear of the building.

There is original art on the walls and a small sales area with smoking accessories and pre-packaged food items. Hookahs can be rented in the lounge.

There is no liquor license, but soft drinks are on sale. Moon said the lounge allows BYOB for its members, but he added few of them actually bring in alcoholic beverages.

“The majority of our members don’t drink,” he said.

The lounge opens at 5 p.m. and closes, depending upon the day of the week at 11 p.m. or 1 a.m. There are regular activities such as “Paint and Bake,” watching football games, movies nights and a Halloween party to name a few.

It’s Moon’s goal to come up with “a sustainable business model that would be new for the whole county.

He currently has 175 to 225 members and is adding about 30 members a month. Membership is $15 a month with members able to bring in guests for $15 a visit. Moon said the fees are structured to turn guest into members.

For Moon, it is just as important for his business to be profitable as it is for it to build a community.

“We want it to be all inclusive,” he said.

For more information, go to https://thesummitprivatelounge.com/.