The recreational consumption of marijuana has been legal in Nevada for more than a year, but the state’s leading industry has never been comfortable with it.
Late last month, the Nevada Resort Association gave voice to gaming’s concerns in a letter to the city of Las Vegas urging it to hold off on an ordinance to allow smoking lounges.
Virginia Valentine, who heads the casinos’ principal state lobbying group, wrote that the lounges would create “unique challenges” for those gambling venues located nearby.
“Recreational marijuana has only been legal in Nevada since July 1, 2017, and it still relatively new in other states,” she stated. “Consequently, communities have little or no experience with the impacts of lounges on the communities or surrounding businesses.”
The letter, addressed to Mayor Carolyn Goodman and copied to members of City Council, City Manager Scott Adams and Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, requests the delay “until further information is available from other jurisdictions”.
Councilman Bob Coffin, who has led the effort to move forward with the lounges
