Pot cafes are finally coming to Mass. Here is what we know.

Between the three licenses, a hospitality license will offer the widest bandwidth to entrepreneurs who want to run standalone lounges, comedy clubs, and more where customers can consume cannabis on-site, while “supplemental” licenses will be reserved for existing businesses looking to open an adjoining space for consumption. The last, temporary license can be used for events that will permit smoking marijuana or ingesting other cannabis products.

Social consumption is already permitted in California, Colorado, and even some parts of Massachusetts, where businesses — neither licensed to operate nor reprimanded for it — are navigating a legal gray area. Lounges in Worcester and Cambridge currentlyallow indoor smoking through workarounds in the state law. And Samantha Kanter, the founder of Dinner At Mary’s, has been selling infused Thanksgiving pies and hosting marijuana yoga classes for years.

In January, Stebbins told the Globe that 2024 would be a “very active year” for social consumption in Massachusetts after earlier hiccups: The idea of a pot cafe was only formally permitted by Beacon Hill in 2022, when they allowed “for combustion, heating, vaporization, aerosolization of cannabis products indoors” in the Chapter 180 regulations on cannabis. Commissioners then launched a pilot program that would limit social consumption to 12 communities, but later scrapped it.

Now municipalities across the statewould have the ability to opt into allowing social consumption establishments, much as they do now with cannabis delivery businesses. The CCC is also launching four working groups that will focus on public awareness efforts, responsible vendor training, municipal outreach, and implementation and adaptation.

The draft of the social consumption regulations will be released on Dec. 17. But on Thursday, the commission shared in its presentation that social consumption establishments will be required to serve food, cut off entry a half hour before closing, and provide a “transportation strategy” and other supports for impaired customers. They also must share estimates of how long it will take to feel “high” after consuming each cannabis product on the menu and cannot sell alcohol or tobacco.

For the first five years of the program, social consumption will be restricted to disadvantaged businesses in the commission’s equity programs.

Kevin Gilnack, president of the cannabis advocacy group Equitable Opportunities Now, said some questions remain about food service and handling at social consumption establishments, but that the licenses are a strong launching pad for this side of the industry.

“It’s been a long time coming, but the commission deserves credit for all the outreach they’ve done,” Gilnack said. “We hope they won’t get bogged down by overly burdensome requirements for the regs, but the framework looks very encouraging.”

Sean Hope, the founder of the Cambridge cannabis club Diaspora, said formalizing the rules around lounges like his will increase competition and benefit marijuana consumers. (Diaspora operates as a private club, locales where members are allowed to smoke indoors under state law.)

“Growing the pie is going to help the industry overall. We have enough customers out there for everyone, exponentially so,” Hope said. “But can we do social consumption in a way that makes people feel safe and comfortable, and can we do it in an accessible way?”

Diti Kohli can be reached at diti.kohli@globe.com. Follow her @ditikohli_.