We have been covering the topic of social cannabis consumption for quite a while at The Weed Blog. Being based in Portland we would love to see Oregon be the first state to pioneer this area of the cannabis industry (and we are sure hopeful with Senate Bill 307 on the lines currently). However, some legislative activity in Nevada this past week might make the Silver State the first to have legalized and regulated social cannabis consumption clubs.So, will Nevada be the first state with cannabis clubs?
From the Associated Press:
A bill allowing local governments to issue permits for marijuana social clubs has passed in the Nevada Senate.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the bill passed 12-9 Tuesday and next will be reviewed by the Assembly. Lawmakers say tourists do not have a safe place to use recreational marijuana, which is legal in Nevada. They say this bill would give tourists a place to go and relieve some pressure off casinos and hotels. Andy Abboud, Las Vegas Sands Corp. senior vice president, says pot lounges in Clark County would be located on the Las Vegas Strip.
As we all know, other states allowing recreational/adult-use marijuana have discussed public social clubs, but no such bill has yet been passed. In Oregon, we were fortunate to have The World Famous Cannabis Cafe (WFCC) and have awesome event producers like Tokeativity who have been able to provide safe spaces for adults to consume cannabis together.
The City of Denver passed a social consumption ordinance last November and there has been a lot of talk about it here in the City of Portland as well.
Madeline Martinez is the founder/sole-proprietress of The WFCC and she explained it perfectly.
“Moving forward we need and deserve safe, cannabis-friendly social venues in all legalized states. We [cannabis consumers] are law-abiding, taxpaying citizens and, given the opportunity, we choose to consume legally, out of public view, to protect the rights of consumers and non-consumers alike.”
Indeed.
