In legalized Nevada, marijuana smoking in public is still a revolutionary actif your idea of raging against the machine is committing an offense that will barely raise an eyebrow among the people, while risking a $600 ticket from police.
As in the four other states that legalized recreational marijuana in November, adults 21 and over can cultivate and possess cannabis in Nevada, but smoking in public is forbidden. Those who want to use cannabis legally in Nevada have no venue for their sessions aside from private residences. Smoking in public, consuming at a bar or club, a private party, a dab loungenone of the above is a thing you can do with the blessing of the state.
This is a pain. Its also patently stupid.
Las Vegas is set to become the capital for cannabis tourism in America. Medical cannabis patients from other states with a government-issued medical marijuana identification card can already patronize Vegas dispensaries. Once the city starts opening retail locations, the city will be swamped with weed tourists from all over the world, who will be welcomed by being forced to huddle in furtive circles underneath neon-lit casinos, sneaking forbidden tokes of a legal substance. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
State Sen. Tick Segerblom,who represents Las Vegas, recognizes the madness. So the states most-cannabis-friendly lawmaker, Segerblom is now pushing a proposal to allow some public marijuana consumption in Nevada, as the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
If were going to bring people here for marijuana tourism, they need a place to use it, he sagely told the newspaper. We dont want them walking up and down the Strip smoking. Lets give them some place to go.
When Nevadas legislative session resumes on Feb. 6, Segerblom plans to introduce a bill that would allow cities and other local governments the ability to issue public marijuana-use permits. Similar to the pilot program in Denver, where bars, art galleries, coffee houses and other businesses can apply for public-use permits, Segerbloms plan would allow music festivals, hookah lounges and just about every possibility, all the way down to designated marijuana-friendly streets, to acquire a pot-smoking permitprovided the local government be down.
As usual, marijuana-friendly lawmaking in the legislature will be a slog. The usual cries of its too fast! and lets see what other states are doing! are already echoing throughout the state. (Other states, for the record, have put up with weed smoking in public and outlaw puffing on bar patios for four years, just like they did before legalization.)
Segerbloms plan even has opponents at home in ...
