This is your captain speaking. We are getting ready to take off on a special adventure, and what more appropriate place to get high enough to hit cruising altitude than the one, the only, the illustrious Flight Lounge?
Flight Lounge is a private, members-only community center for Cannabis consumers. Launched in 2018, the entity has served as a safe space for social consumption and communal gatherings for the better part of a decade. To truly understand what makes Flight Lounge so significant, it’s important to recognize its owners, Leia Flynn and Joshua “Josh” Young, and the story of how the business came to be.
Flynn’s journey with Cannabis started with growing. Her substantial drive for helping others went hand in hand with her passion for the plant, which resulted in her joining Oregon Green Free, the first 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States that provided resources to medical marijuana patients. She moved into the role of president of that association while simultaneously working with Portland and Oregon chapters of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Flynn also operated in the capacity of a paralegal and legal assistant to Leland “Lee” Berger for 15 years. During that time, she researched and assisted in writing monumental legislation like the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act and Ballot Measure 91, which eventually led to full legalization in the state.
“Before legalization in 2015, we supported a lot of farms and people who had been raided, including medical patients,” Flynn said.
Young’s story is similarly remarkable. A Portland local and medical patient since the early 2000s, Young co-founded one of the earliest dispensaries in Oregon, Cannabliss & Co. Driven by a desire to support others after losing his mother to cancer, he took great pride in caring for some of the community’s most vulnerable populations through plant medicine. Young went on to open the iconic dispensary Potlandia, which he operated for three years. Regardless of where he was, Young always strove to create a welcoming atmosphere for medical customers, as well as facilitating Cannabis nonprofits and activism.
“I got into the Cannabis industry because I’m really trying to help people,” Young explained. “That’s how me and Leia ended up meeting.”
In 2014, Flynn opened a private club called Leia’s Place, or “The Tea House,” as it was known to regulars, embodying similar vibes to the Amsterdam “tea” cafes of yore. It was an exclusive setting that was only accessible by referral and served as a forum for the Portland Cannabis community. Running any enterprise solo is an insurmountable amount of work, so after four years, Flynn realized she needed a partner. In 2018, she teamed up with Young, renamed the business and Flight Lounge was born.
The organization has gone through several different iterations since then: a club, a bed-and-breakfast and a cafe. In March 2025, they opened their biggest location to date: a private warehouse that serves as a combination of almost every other format they’ve had all rolled up into one.
The original concept for the name comes from the idea that, in a world without Cannabis discrimination and prohibition, airports would have their own consumption areas similar to bars or smoking sections. Airports serve as a series of connection points, and similarly, Flight Lounge brings together a diverse array of community members from all walks of life. With over 10,000 active memberships, it’s safe to say that Flynn and Young have helped a lot of people make their connecting flights.
“People who would never even talk in the grocery store are in here sharing laughs and smiling with each other,” Young stated. “Our goal has always been to be universal; we want everybody to feel safe in this space.”
The lounge itself contains a stage, televisions, projectors and a collection of booths and tables that are both comfortable and fashionably aesthetic. Flynn and Young have worked hard to curate a place for everything from celebrating holidays and hosting industry gatherings to kicking back and watching a football game.
Flight Lounge has a vast lineup of programming put on by its members. Craft nights, movie showings, comedy events, bingo, art shows and more fill the schedule almost every day they are open. They host informational functions — like rolling workshops and a Dab 101 class — to educate and empower members. Some upcoming happenings include a speed dating event for Valentine’s Day, open mics featuring members sharing their musical talents and a health- and wellness-focused sound bath with guided meditation.
“It’s basically all member-led events,” Flynn said.
The amenities at Flight Lounge are ample. Rolling trays, water pipes and ashtrays are stocked in abundance, and there’s even a dab bar sponsored by local company D-Nail with everything needed to dab concentrates, from glass rigs to banger heating technology. The interior is decorated with art and handmade crafts made by members, all available for purchase.
Operating right outside of the club’s doors is perhaps the most popular amenity, the private food cart, where members can order munchies. A huge perk to membership, the mobile cafe is best known for serving an array of exciting brunch items, but the menu also rotates at nighttime, furnishing specials like bento boxes and burgers.
During the Leaf’s visit, we had the opportunity to sample several menu items: the Flight French Toast, a biscuits and gravy platter and a strawberry-flavored “Stoner Lemonade,” which is a glamorous CBD mocktail with hazy smoke billowing out of the cup. Each order of the French toast is customizable, featuring a variety of fruit and cereal toppings. We went with fresh strawberries, Fruity Pebbles and a hearty helping of silky whipped cream. A virtual kaleidoscope of colors and delectable tastes, each bite had a perfect texture balance between the fluffy French toast and the crunchy cereal bits. The biscuits and gravy dish was similarly impressive, composed of two flaky baked biscuits with a savory, country-style sausage gravy. Smothered, covered and expertly seasoned, the dish nails southern comfort food and the morning munchies.
In many ways, the cultural importance of Flight Lounge is hard to quantify. Breaking bread, smoking together and sharing in socialization is a form of medicine and community building for many visitors. It’s an ideal place to sesh on some flower or a jar of hash rosin with friends, but even more than that, it’s a venue to celebrate Cannabis liberty and find fellowship.
It’s also important to mention that Flynn and Young are heavily involved in mutual aid and supporting club members in need. This past Thanksgiving, Flight Lounge hosted a food donation drive that ended up feeding 29 families. In December, they facilitated a member-sponsored fundraiser that brought in over 100 toys and $1,000 for struggling families with children. At present, the Flight crew is working to facilitate the next community benefit, like gathering coats for the unhoused.
“It’s just members supporting members. You join a club, it’s all about connecting with and helping one another,” Flynn explained.
As industry OGs with a deep history in Oregon Cannabis, Flynn and Young have created an extraordinary space for the community. Between the member-sponsored events, the amazing amenities and the sheer exercise of freedom that comes with uncensored social consumption, true normalization and destigmatization feel closer now than ever before.
