words Al Woods
When you plan a trip to Sin City, you probably aren’t looking for a virtuous visit. Most Vegas visitors are looking to get into some kind of good trouble, like playing casino games all night, enjoying sumptuous meals, imbibing freely and generally avoiding their typical responsibilities.
Now that Las Vegas has dispensaries around the Strip, you might also be thinking about picking up some pot, as well.
Unfortunately, while you can find a dispensary in Las Vegas with relative ease, it isn’t so clear where you can consume cannabis legally. Here’s a guide to getting high in Sin City without breaking any laws.
Who Can Buy Weed in Vegas?
Nevadans voted to legalize recreational cannabis on their 2016 ballot, and by July 2017, dispensaries were open and catering to pro-cannabis clientele. Recreational cannabis, unlike medical marijuana, does not require a state-approved license to purchase, possess and consume. However, Nevada does restrict recreational cannabis use to adults aged 21 and over — which is a typical minimum age for marijuana in the U.S. Many dispensaries require you to furnish your ID proving your legal age before you enter, and others will request your ID when you checkout.
How Much Weed Can You Get?
How much weed you can buy depends on the type of cannabis product you prefer. Nevada law allows you to purchase up to an ounce of dried cannabis flower — which is likely way more than you need as a visitor. An ounce usually takes the average cannabis consumer between two weeks and a month to finish, so if you are staying an average of 3-4 nights in Sin City, you won’t need nearly that much, unless you are sharing with a big group of friends.
If you aren’t partial to dried pot, you can also purchase up to 3.5 grams of concentrates, such as dabs, vape juices, hash and the like. While these will be more expensive than flower, they have higher concentrations of cannabinoids, so each hit is more potent.
Can You Get High in Your Hotel Room?
Whether you can use your hotel room to get high depends on where you book your accommodations. None of the big hotels on the Strip are 420-friendly, as yet, and smoking in your room could get you in serious legal trouble. If you don’t know a resident of Vegas who will allow you to use weed on their private property, you should look for a bud and breakfast close to the Strip.
Can You Get High in a Casino?
Though a number of casinos happily permit patrons to partake of tobacco products and alcoholic beverages while exploring the floor, cannabis consumption in casinos remains verboten. The reason for this has to do with federal regulations regarding cannabis; casinos don’t want to lose their licenses or get in federal legal trouble because they are 420-friendly. Unless you want to be escorted off the floor, you should get high in a private space before heading to your favorite craps table.
Can You Get High Outside on the Strip?
You might pass by more than a few Vegas natives or visitors who are smoking weed on the Strip sidewalk, but technically, this is illegal, too. Nevada law is clear in stating that cannabis consumption is only allowed in private spaces away from public view where you have permission from the landowner. To avoid time-consuming and costly intervention from Vegas authorities during your vacation, it is wise to follow the letter of the law.
Can You Get High in a Dispensary?
Believe it or not, you can get high in some dispensaries. Vegas allows dispensaries to create tasting rooms or smoke lounges, where patrons are allowed to linger and enjoy their recently purchased weed products. This gives you the chance to interact with other cannabis connoisseurs during your trip, but more importantly, it gives you a convenient space to get high close to the Strip.
Where Can You Go While High?
It might be difficult to find a place where you can use your legal weed, but once you get high, the opportunities are almost endless. As long as you aren’t endangering yourself or others or otherwise being a public nuisance, you can go anywhere in Vegas after consuming cannabis — and there are plenty of places that are much improved by being stoned. If you are prone to overstimulation, you might enjoy standing in front of the Bellagio Fountains, or if you like a lot of sound and motion, Fremont Street is a great destination for you.
Weed is perfectly legal in Sin City, as it should be — but that doesn’t mean you can play it fast and loose with consumption. As long as you plan ahead with a place for using your pot, you should have a high time on your next Vegas trip.
