When you walk into a bar and buy a drink, you’d expect to consume it right there. This has been the case for many years, so why should cannabis consumption be any different? Thanks to recent legislation, Nevada joins a handful of other states that already allow public consumption spaces for cannabis.
Cannabis legalization has typically been overall net positive. Removing the prohibition placed on the plant, on the other hand, has come with challenges. One such challenge is the fact that consuming in public spaces was typically prohibited until a few years ago.
Business owners in states like Alaska, Colorado, and Michigan may apply for a license to open a public consumption establishment. However, bud tasting spaces, toking lounges, and cafes serving delicious infused food all took a hit during the pandemic, as so many businesses did.
Nevada looks to soon join these other states in the cannabis consumption lounge space. Furthermore, they hope to take the reins as the leader in the canna-tourism market. Cannabis lounges could help Nevada’s economy, specifically Vegas, which seeks to return to its pre-pandemic tourist numbers in 2019 of 42.5 million.
Nevada Legalizes Public Cannabis Consumption
In 2016, Nevada passed a bill to legalize recreational cannabis. In 2018, this legislation went into law. Three years later, public consumption restrictions still exist.
These issues could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to Assembly Bill 341. Nevada Assembly. Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) signed it into law, officially making Nevada one of the first states to allow the consumption of cannabis outside of private property.
Vegas May Help Set the Bar for Canna-Tourism
According to the language of Bill 341, adults aged 21 and older will be allowed to consume cannabis in publicly in Nevada. This applies accordingly to retail locations that will add an area on their property for a lounge, or new establishments that plan to sell licensed cannabis products. Lawmakers are pleased with the tax revenue that legal weed brings. Even in states like California, who face challenges competing against a still thriving illicit market, managed to surpass one billion dollars in the first two years of recreational sales.
Nonetheless, it’s unclear if the public consumption space bill will allow smoking, vaping, eating infused foods and beverages, or all of the above. Canada and Amsterdam however already have excellent business models to follow. With the extra shimmer of Vegas added onto public consumption spaces, business owners in the market could help add a significant boost to the economy and create jobs in the process.