A New ‘Sin’ Comes To Sin City – But It’s (Technically) Illegal On The Strip
In a town where it’s always 5 o’clock to many visitors, to others it’s also well, 4:20.
That is because it is now legal to buy pot in Vegas, as well as in other Nevada cities. Sales of recreational marijuana were passed by Nevada voters in November and it took only until July 1 for it to be put into place.
Initially 17 dispensaries were approved by state regulators while another 40 were to be added after just one day. On opening day, starting at 12;01 a.m., some dispensaries in Vegas were planning grand opening events.
To purchase, you need to be 21 or over and have a valid ID. People can buy up to an ounce of pot or one-eighth of an ounce of edibles or concentrates. Medical marijuana dispensaries have been legal in Nevada since Jan. 1, 2018.
Now, the question becomes where can people legally consume cannibis in Vegas now that they can purchase it? Technically, it’s illegal in all public places, and that includes the Strip. But how much this is enforced remains to be seen. It would be almost impossible to police, considering the volumes of pedestrians who are on the Strip in the daytime and nighttime.
Chances are it will be ignored, as long as no one is causing trouble. Using marijuana in public could lead to a $600 ticket.
Consuming cannabis in casinos and casino bars and nightclubs is definitely illegal. Casinos operate under federal law rather than state or local laws. Light one up in a casino and you could be asked to leave, fined or even arrested. As a result, some cannabis experts are predicting the sale of edibles will boom in Vegas, as it;s difficult, if not impossible, to detect someone consuming pot as food as opposed to smoking it.
Naturally, the legalization has brought out the entrepreneurial spirit in some enterprising individuals. A Denver-based businessman has established condos just off the Las Vegas Strip that allows pot smoking (but not cigarettes). There are also cannabis tours of dispensaries.
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