Ed Alexander is the owner of Sol Cannabis. He cultivates and sells retail marijuana at his Washoe Valley property. He says the marijuana industry has grown since Nevada legalized recreational use of the drug in 2017 and that the industry is still evolving.
"We haven't given the consumers a place to legally consume," Alexander said.Â
Part of the law requires that people can only smoke weed in their homes, leaving tourists who legally purchase cannabis to use it in illegal places. More than 55 million people visit Nevada each year.
"Right now, we're setting people up to fail because they're consuming in their hotel rooms or they're consuming in places that are not appropriate for consumption," Alexander said.
That is one of the reasons why lawmakers are revisiting the option of cannabis lounges. Lawmakers say the move could help tourists and residents.
"We also have residents who can't consume because they rent and they're not allowed to or they're in subsidized housing and there's federal restrictions," Assem. Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas said.
Yeager is the sponsor of Assembly Bill 341. It would allow dispensaries have attached or adjacent cannabis lounges. It would also allow independent businesses to start their own lounges, even if they are not affiliated with a dispensary.
"I think this is going to open the door for other people to get into the industry and a lot of people who were just not able to get licenses originally because of the barriers for entry were so high," Yeager said.
The bill also has a provision that would include people who have been socially impacted.
"If you're somebody who has been negatively impacted by the war on drugs when cannabis was illegal, you're going to get a little bit of extra consideration to be able to hopefully get licensed," Yeager said.
Other lawmakers do not approve of the bill.Â
"Mainly because of my district," Assem. P.K. O'Neill, R-Carson City said. "I don't think it's necessary. Other states have tried this and failed and have had problems."
O'Neill says he has a lot of unanswered questions after Friday's Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing.
"Some of the questions that I raised about second-hand smoke, protecting the employees within the building and also the neighborhood with exhaust fumes," O'Neill said. "What I heard several times was 'Just trust us. We'll figure it out. Pass the bill.'"
O'Neill spent 40 years in law enforcement, including several years in undercover narcotics. He says his career is one reason why is opposed to the expansion of the marijuana industry.
"I've had partners and friends on my teams injured, one of them killed over marijuana sales," O'Neill said. "So it's very difficult for me to really promote it."
O'Neill says since Nevada legalized recreational marijuana, black market sales have also increased. He says independent cannabis lounges could end up dealing with unintended consequences like illegal sales.
Alexander agrees that marijuana distribution should be a major component of the bill for non-dispensary lounges.
"How do I know that that's a licensed facility vs. somebody that just has a backpack full of marijuana?" Alexander said.
Alexander says a better option could be to allow dispensaries to open lounges before allowing new businesses to start selling marijuana.
"Let's not let the genie out of the bottle until we understand the ramifications of that," Alexander said.
Alexander has been planning for the legalization of cannabis lounges since he opened his business. He has an outdoor patio with seating, as well as an outdoor entertainment venue.
Pot lounges could come in a lot of different styles. Yeager and Alexander say there is flexibility and that the options are limitless.
"Whether it's cannabis food pairings at restaurants, whether it is a 'puff and paint' for lack of a better description," Alexander said.
"You could have a nightclub-type vibe with stand-up comedy, maybe you have live music, maybe it looks more like a restaurant where there's plated dinner that has cannabis-infused food, maybe it looks more like a traditional bar," Yeager said.
Similar legislation has failed in previous sessions, dating back to 2017. Yeager hopes 2021 will have a different outcome, saying the state cannot wait two more years for the next legislative session to legalize cannabis consumption lounges.
"Once travel comes back to normal in the U.S., which I think is going to happen very soon, I think particularly in Las Vegas, you're going to see an influx of tourists and they want to take advantage of these things," Yeager said.
AB341 requires a two-thirds majority vote to pass.
Â
Â
Â
Â
