Voters in Nevada voted in favor of the use of recreational marijuana in November and it took the state just 8 months to put the plan into action. Nevada started selling recreational marijuana over the weekend and authorized outlets saw huge queues at their stores as both locals and tourists lined up to get a shot at legalized pot.
There are now a total of 8 states in America that have legalized the use of recreational marijuana and the Nevada market could turn out to be the biggest market because of the influx of tourists to Las Vegas. California has also approved the use of recreational marijuana and will most likely start selling at the start of 2018 and could then become the biggest market, beating out Nevada.
There are two form of marijuana being sold in Nevada. The first is medical marijuana which is sold as a form of medication that is used to treat various ailments. This requires users to register as a medical marijuana patient and get the requirement prescription from the doctor who certifies that the medical condition requires the use of medical marijuana. The second is recreational marijuana which can be bought by anyone over 21 years of age. Current law allows individuals to buy up to one ounce of recreational marijuana and one eighth of an ounce of edibles.
Casinos Will Not Allow Pot To Be Smoked
The glitz and the glamour of Las Vegas’s casinos is one of the main reasons why 42 million tourists visit the state. Marijuana regulators expect more than 60 percent of customers to be tourists and it is highly likely that a large number of these customers would like to have a joint at the casino.
However that will not be possible as while marijuana is legalized in Nevada based on state law, casinos cannot allow patrons to smoke marijuana because the state has subjected the casino industry to federal law which bans marijuana. Now that recreational marijuana has been approved in Nevada, it is just a matter of time before patrons try to smoke pot at the casinos, which means that casinos will now have to train the security to spot and stop pot users from lighting up.
What will be difficult for the casinos to address is the use of edibles. This is a form of marijuana that comes in the form of a variety of brownies and gummies. These edibles are a big hit with regular pot users who can easily slip them into the casino and pop them into their mouth while sitting at the gaming tables.
Nevada law only allows recreational marijuana to be smoked in one’s home, backyard or porch. Smoking pot in public is banned and anyone found doing so will be hit with a first time fine of $600. The state has also banned the advertisement of marijuana products on television, radio and social media as more than 30 percent of their audience is expected to be below the age of 21.
These restrictions will impact the sales of licensed Nevada marijuana distributors but it may not be for long as State Sen. Tick Segerblom who was one of the chief campaigners for marijuana legislation plans to push a new bill in 2019 that will allow marijuana clubs to be developed in the state and lift the ban on marijuana advertising.
The Senator believes that one of Nevada’s key marketing points in the near future will be ‘Come to Nevada and smoke pot’ and as a result, it will be up to the state to make provision for tourists and locals to be able to enjoy their marijuana out in the open and not behind closed doors.
There is no doubt that Nevada police will now have extra work on their hands as they will have to be able to spot and deal with users who are stoned. There are also a number of groups who campaigned against the legalization of recreational marijuana and were unhappy to see the law passed.
They believe that this will hurt Nevada as it will only increase the number of intoxicated people in the state and could be a catalyst for crime and will ultimately end up impacting children in a negative way.
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