ContestsEvents

LISTEN LIVE

It’s Hard To Smoke Marijuana In Las Vegas, But That’s Changing

Dispensaries, and marijuana are definitely plentiful in Las Vegas, but then what? You’re in from out of town, you go out for drinks, and you can drink them – right…

Marijuana Lounges in Las Vegas

Marijuana Lounges in Las Vegas

Lauren DeCicca/Stringer via Getty Images

Dispensaries, and marijuana are definitely plentiful in Las Vegas, but then what?

You're in from out of town, you go out for drinks, and you can drink them - right there at the bar you bought them at.

You can buy marijuana in Las Vegas, but there's no place tourists can actually smoke it. Well - that's about to change.

Las Vegas has a cannabis problem. The city gladly allows the sale of marijuana for recreational use, but it's only allowed to be smoked in private residences. That means people visiting the Las Vegas Strip, Fremont Street, or any other part of the city are technically breaking the law when they light up to enjoy

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has better things to do than bust people for smoking pot, but not having places where cannabis can legally be smoked has led to other problems.

First, the Las Vegas Strip -- actually, any crowded place in Las Vegas that's outside -- now smells like pot.

Second, the adults who visit Las Vegas to engage in "sins" like gambling, indulgent eating, having a few alcoholic beverages, and even going to strip clubs, do not have to hide those things. But tourists who have legally purchased marijuana in Las Vegas, have to either blatantly break the law or smoke in hidden corners of parking lots, or in back alleys. One might compare it to prohibition - it's there, but we have to sneak around to enjoy it.

Neither of the seedy options above benefit the city, so Nevada has taken steps to correct the problem.

The state has set the framework for legal consumption lounges and two  interesting players are getting very close to giving Las Vegas tourists a place to legally, comfortably, and happily light up their joints, pipes, and other methods of smoking cannabis.

And of course, there are always drive-thru's for convenience.

Whatever you do in Las Vegas - in a soon to be cannabis lounge, or at your best friends place - please do it responsibly.

The Artisan Hotel - Soon To Be Called the "Lexi"

The off-Strip boutique Artisan Hotel at Sahara Avenue and Interstate 15 was purchased in 2022 by Elevation Hotels and Resorts. The property will be renamed the Lexi and turned into a cannabis-friendly hotel.

No specific opening date has been announced, the first-of-its-kind for Las Vegas is expected to open in April. The 64-room hotel will have a floor of rooms with sophisticated air filtration, as well as no carpets, heavy drapes, or other materials known for absorbing smoke.

"We definitely want to create a more elevated experience," Elevation CEO Alex Rizk told Travel Weekly. "We are cannabis-inclusive but not cannabis-centric. We want all people, whether they want to partake or not, to feel welcome and really destigmatize the use of cannabis."

Planet 13

The company, which has its "Superstore" about a mile off the Strip has been approved by the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board to build a lounge.

The Planet 13 Entertainment Complex will be the first of its kind space where consumers can watch products being made, purchase, and consume all under one roof.

Planet 13 already has a on-site restaurant and coffee shop at its Superstore. The company will actually be giving up its liquor license at its Las Vegas location in order to open its cannabis consumption lounge.

Thrive - Drive Thru Cannabis in Las Vegas

Thrive

Jade - Drive Thru Cannabis in Las Vegas

Jade

NuWu - Drive Thru Cannabis in Las Vegas

Carla ReaWriter
Carla Rea is the morning show co-host on “The Mike and Carla Morning Show" on 96.3 KKLZ, in Las Vegas. She has been working with her partner and friend Mike O'Brian for the past 25 plus years. At KKLZ for 12 years. Carla Rea is a Gracie Award winner. She started out in talk radio, "when talk radio was still fun" Rea says. Prior to, and along with doing the morning show, Carla is also a comedian. You may have seen her on Conan O'Brien, Evening at The Improv, Showtime, or several comedy clubs across the country. Carla also worked as a light feature reporter at KSNV/NBC Las Vegas, going behind the scenes at various shows, and restaurants on the Las Vegas strip. As a content creator 96.3 KKLZ, Carla writes in a sarcastic, cheeky, unapologetic way on Las Vegas, movies, TV, celebrities, and this thing we call life.