Las Vegas delays action on marijuana consumption lounges until 2019

Las Vegas officials are waiting until 2019 before deciding whether to allow public cannabis consumption in venues such as lounges.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, the Clark County Commission and Las Vegas City Council have said they’ll continue to “take a wait-and-see approach,” though this is the first time they’ve offered any kind of timeline.

Both groups were considering allowing public consumption lounges this spring but delayed their plans after Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded key marijuana protections in January.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Marijuana industry advocates have been pushing for public consumption lounges in Nevada since the state began recreational marijuana sales last July. Nevada gets more than 40 million tourists a year and restrictions in hotels and casinos severely limit where those tourists can consume cannabis.
• The Clark County Commission plans to wait on public consumption until the state legislature meets in 2019. The commissioners’ hope is the legislature will pass a law allowing public consumption.
• County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani said his group wants to monitor Denver’s social-use implementation before taking any action.
• Denver recently broke ground on social use when it approved a permit for cannabis consumption at a coffee shop.
• The Mile High City has also allowed an unlicensed cannabis club to charge membership fees for people who want to use the club to consume marijuana. Massachusetts has allowed a similar club.