LAS VEGAS (420CanNews)—The stage is set for Sin City to ride the latest marijuana trend:the cannabis lounge. After a year of license processing and rule tweaking, talk of new lounge openings are starting to surface, with one location being at Planet 13 near Desert Inn Road and Sammy Davis Jr. Drive and another at the well-traveled tourist attraction AREA15.
Located in Las Vegas Ward 3, the AREA15 campus of “immersive entertainment experiences” has become one of the most visited tourist attractions in the United States, according to Placer.ai. Officials for the campus say the family-friendly destination is determined to strike a balance between offering adult entertainment venues and attractions that cater to minors.
A second location is set to open at Planet 13, the world’s largest high-end dispensary, near Desert Inn Road and Sammy Davis Jr. Drive, according to a local TV report. Planet 13’s Dazed Lounge contributed artist renderings to the news station, which showed seating areas as well as Instagrammable backdrops for visitors.
Sneak peeks at the upcoming cannabis consumption lounge come after several stages of license approvals and rule tinkering within the State of Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB), which approved “prospective” licenses pertaining specifically to cannabis lounges for 40 applicants in the fall of 2022.
The Balancing Act
For the owners of AREA15, the balancing act of offering a walk-in marijuana establishment alongside kid-friendly attractions is all too real. The key appears to lie in strict age-restriction policies and enforcement.
“We say we’re ‘PG during the day, rated R at night’ is sort of the AREA15 motto,” said CEO and co-founder Winston Fisher. As reported by a local TV crew, Fisher said in a public hearing, “We’ll be sensitive not to, one, put it in the face of families who are coming in because I don’t want to hurt that market. And at the same time, have very strict door policies.”
AREA15 officials said the location of the weed lounge will be in a separate warehouse space behind the main AREA15 structure, not inside. Officials assured the public that the distance will keep minors and families away from the age-restricted, adult space. In cannabis clubs like these, customers are expected to consume marijuana in a responsible way that is also “respectful of our community.”
Licensing Stages and Tweaks
As of early fall, Nevada’s CCB issued nine conditional licenses, according to local NBC Channel 3. That’s the next license needed before cannabis lounges can officially open.
“The conditional license allows these consumption lounge licensees to just continue building out their space,” said Tiana Bohner, the public information officer for the CCB told NBC Channel 3. “They’ll also need to get approval from the local jurisdiction that they’re located in. And finally, they’ll need to get a physical walkthrough of their lounge space, which is done by our CCB auditors and inspectors.”
Lounges, Lounges Everywhere
Currently, cannabis lounges are legal in 10 states with actual locations in various stages of development, according to Cannabis Creative. These states include Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Nevada.
As more states make recreational marijuana legal, the number of modern cannabis cafes will grow exponentially. And at least in Las Vegas, a new kind of lounge act will make its debut.
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— Story Filed By 420CanNews Staff
Here’s More Information on the Topic:
Sneak Peek at Las Vegas Cannabis Consumption Lounge
https://www.fox5vegas.com/video/2023/11/02/sneak-peek-las-vegas-cannabis-consumption-lounge/
Nevada Cannabis Board Approves Lounges, Streamlines Regulations
https://www.fox5vegas.com/2023/10/27/nevada-cannabis-board-approves-lounges-streamlines-regulations/
Cannabis Consumption Lounge Coming to AREA15 Campus
https://news3lv.com/news/local/cannabis-consumption-lounge-coming-to-area15-campus
