Cannabis Lounges Sprout Up to Free Tourists from Nevada’s Catch 22 Cannabis Restrictions

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

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Last updated: August 1, 2022

Cannabis users now have a legal place to smoke and vape while enjoying gambling and other social experiences in Nevada. These places are known as Cannabis lounges. Somewhat like Cigar bars, Cannabis lounges were legalized by the Nevada legislature in 2019. However, they had to wait several months before being allowed to open because the NCCB (Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board) had to approve their legislation.

It’s almost three years past this approval by the Nevada legislature, and the Cannabis lounges are yet to open fully. However, there is hope they will come on stream before the end of the year. This hope exists because in June this year, the NCCB voted to approve the regulations allowing Cannabis lounges to operate in Nevada. This is good news for tourists within the states.

Most tourists and gamblers visiting Las Vegas can legally purchase cannabis but not legally consume it. However, with the Cannabis lounges coming to be, they can finally consume their marijuana legally within Las Vegas.

Julia Whitney Refers to the Situation as an Ugly Catch-22 for Tourists

Several of these tourists have battled in the past with the law and their consumption of marijuana. This is because Nevada forbids the smoking of cannabis in public places. Despite buying marijuana legally, tourists can only use it illegally.

The state laws prevent them from smoking marijuana on the street, in cars, or in hotels. They cannot take unused cannabis outside the state, as driving it across state lines or taking it along on an airplane will be breaking the law of the United States of America.

It’s an ugly catch-22 for several tourists, and Juliana Whitney shares this feeling. Juliana is the CEO of Cann Strategy. Her business runs a consulting service for Las Vegas businesses. Her consulting service thrives due to the confusing nature of the regulations within the state. In an interview, Juliana says, “Visitors technically having nowhere they are allowed to consume their products has been a frustrating Catch-22 for years’.

Nevada Has 20 Legal Cannabis Dispensaries

It is vital to note that there are currently 20 legalized cannabis dispensaries operating in Nevada. They are situated north of Las Vegas. Several dispensaries have drive-throughs selling cannabis products like dried leaves and vaping cartridges. One of the most notable ones is Planet 13 at 40,000 square feet. Planet 13 is easily the world’s largest cannabis dispensary.

Juliana Whitney explains that the law leaves tourists with no choice but to consume it openly or in their hotel’s parking spaces. One of the two other options tourists in the Las Vegas valley has, aside from breaking the law, is to smoke in a private residence. However, several tourists don’t know any locals, and most don’t stay at an Airbnb. For this reason, they often break the law as there is no private residence to consume their marijuana.

Whitney explained that most tourists do not know they are not permitted to smoke openly in Nevada. They tend to think that if they can buy marijuana publicly, they should also be able to consume it publicly. Luckily though, public smoking of marijuana is decriminalized in the valley, so tourists don’t get in trouble often as the police don’t actively pursue it. The most that happens is getting fined or arrested; however, that isn’t frequent.

The new lounges set to open will only serve 3.5 grams of cannabis in a single serving, and the law prohibits taking any unused cannabis away from the lounges. Whitney still believes that these rules are still quite restrictive. However, like most tourists, she is content with the fact that tourists no longer have to break the law to consume cannabis.