Thursday, April 21, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Nevada lawmakers last year gave the green light for marijuana consumption lounges, but Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick said a lot of questions remained before they could open.
“I really don’t think we’re ready,” Kirkpatrick said Tuesday at a workshop on the subject.
Commissioners used the nearly two-hour meeting at the Clark County Government Center to ask questions about the lounges and hear public comments, mostly from cannabis industry lobbyists.
Commissioners wanted to know more about the rules for the lounges, as the state Cannabis Compliance Board has yet to issue its final set of guidelines.
The board, the state regulatory body for the marijuana industry, is also responsible for granting consumption lounge licenses.
Prior to a change in
state law to allow the lounges, Nevada restricted consumption of recreational marijuana to private residences in the state.
Issues raised by commissioners Tuesday included whether a noncannabis business — such as a barbershop — would be eligible for a lounge license, if residents should be informed of a planned lounge opening in their neighborhood and whether non-Nevada residents will be able to apply for lounge licenses.
“If we’re going to do this, we have to do it right, and I’m not willing to cut corners,” Kirkpatrick said.
Once the board comes out with its regulatory framework for lounges, local jurisdictions can offer additional regulations.
Previously, the board stated that lounges cannot be within 1,000 feet of a school, 300 feet of a community facility such as a church or 1,500 feet of a gaming establishment.
Industry lobbyists remained confident the first lounges would open by the end of the year.
Lounges would be permitted at retail dispensaries, and the board will also award 20 independent licenses, including 10 for “social equity” applicants negatively affected by previous marijuana laws.
Cristina Ulman, president of the Chamber of Cannabis trade group, said established dispensaries could open some of the first lounges.
The Planet 13 dispensary has already outlined a proposal for a lounge at its 20,000-square-foot “superstore” on West Desert Inn Road.
Ulman referred to it as “irresponsible capitalism” to legalize recreational marijuana in Nevada without providing any plan to consume it outside of private homes.
Despite the law, tourists routinely imbibe in marijuana on the Las Vegas Strip.
“Everyone knows that it smells like weed when you walk up and down the Strip, so stop pretending like it’s not already happening. It’s being naïve,” Ulman said.
Last year’s law cleared the way for lounges to open in October 2021, but with no regulations in place, the process has slowed to a crawl.
In July, the Cannabis Compliance Board indicated the first lounges would likely open during the first six months of this year.
“There’s a lot of coordination involved in putting this all together, from the state to Clark County and the other jurisdictions. Our hope is that they do stay on a timeline,” said Layke Martin, executive director of the Nevada Dispensary Association. “I think we’re still on track.”
