Soon, tourists in Las Vegas will have legal venues to enjoy cannabis, as Nevada officials have granted the state’s first three provisional licenses for marijuana consumption lounges. Two of these licenses have been allotted to businesses in the Las Vegas Valley, with the third one given to a lounge to be set up in Washoe County, situated in Nevada’s northwest.
However, these three Nevada businesses, despite holding their provisional licenses approved by the board in a meeting held on June 20, must secure local authorization and pass a final review by CCB board agents before they can welcome customers. These steps will enable them to finalize their site planning and construction, and gear up for their grand openings.
“This endorsement from the state empowers us to proceed with the ultimate design and buildout of our consumption lounge,” commented Larry Scheffler, co-CEO of Planet 13, a dispensary complex near the Las Vegas Strip that was awarded one of the two licenses in Clark County. “This lounge will dramatically enhance the SuperStore’s standing as a cannabis hotspot. It will offer clients the option to test products before purchasing, watch live performances, and partake in food and drink in a convivial environment that aligns with Planet 13’s exceptional design standard.”
David Farris, Planet 13’s vice president of sales and marketing, revealed that the company is currently in the site planning and construction phase for its lounge. Initially, the company contemplated a restaurant-themed lounge, but Planet 13’s general counsel Leighton Koehler informed the board that they’re contemplating everything from a “humble” tasting room to a wider nightclub ambiance.
“We’re still crunching the numbers, it’s a straightforward business decision—we’re still examining the costs,” Koehler mentioned during the meeting.
Executives from the vertically integrated cannabis company indicated that they intend to present their plans to Clark County in the following weeks for an assessment by county authorities, which could take several months. Neither Planet 13 nor Thrive Cannabis Marketplace, the other business to be granted a cannabis consumption lounge license in Clark County, have announced a definitive opening date. Thrive aims to open its lounge on Sammy Davis Jr. Boulevard in sync with the MJ Biz Con cannabis industry trade show slated for late November.
Chris LaPorte, managing partner of Reset, a cannabis consultancy firm representing Thrive, envisioned Smoke and Mirrors, the company’s approximately 3,000 square-foot lounge venue, as a spot for “cannacurious” tourists to explore different marijuana products without having to visit a dispensary.
“It’s simply a mood,” LaPorte stated. “It’s akin to any other Las Vegas nightlife hospitality, but the twist is a cannabis bar instead of a liquor bar.”
Edward Alexander, proprietor of SoL Cannabis in Washoe County, shared his vision for his business as a local gathering spot. However, he noted that many customers had queried why they weren’t permitted to consume the products they had just bought from the dispensary.
“We organize music events at our venue every summer weekend,” Alexander mentioned at Tuesday’s CCB meeting, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “And every weekend, the aged, tattooed hippie has to remind people, ‘You’re at Disneyland, but you can’t ride the rides.'”
The CCB, at its June 20 gathering, modified the air quality rules for cannabis consumption lounges, decreasing the obligatory number of air exchanges per hour in smoking areas from 30 to 20, and in non-smoking areas from 20 to six. The change will “allow more flexibility in air ventilation requirements for cannabis consumption lounges, further reducing entry barriers for all prospective licensees, including social equity applicants,” the board stated. Officials implemented this change after lounge license applicants pointed out that the cost of creating an air conditioning system to meet the stricter requirements was prohibitive.
“When you’re refreshing air every minute or two, it poses a serious power consumption challenge,” LaPorte commented.
The CCB, in the previous year, conducted an electronic draw to choose 40 businesses for potential cannabis consumption lounge licenses “using a random number selector to determine the issuance of independent cannabis consumption lounge licenses for non-social equity applicants and social equity applicants,” according to a statement from the organization. Prospective licensees must submit all necessary documents for a suitability investigation by CCB board agents to be granted a provisional license.
