Las Vegas Review Journal Marijuana Licenses Clark County

Jan 4, 2022 - two:55 pm

Clark County officials are closely monitoring the state's efforts to regulate cannabis consumption lounges, a process that will largely inform how the canton sets its own expectations for the marijuana industry's expansion.

When they open this year in Nevada every bit expected, following approval in the state Legislature last summer, lounges volition provide locals and tourists with places to consume marijuana. But get-go, the country's Cannabis Compliance Lath must finalize regulations, which local jurisdictions may and so strengthen if they wish.

While canton planning remains in the early on stages, commissioners on Tuesday provided insight into factors they are likely to address before so-called social use venues open, raising concerns about potentially having to utilise county funds to pay for increases in staffing and seeking ways to hasten investigations of scent complaints.

Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick said the county had hired l additional employees to handle extra piece of work after legal cannabis sales began in the state in July 2017. She suggested that business licensing fees should be used to pay for boosted employees that will exist needed in air quality, business licensing and other departments.

"Or nosotros're going to take to effigy out, when we look at our upkeep, what that looks like considering it's just more for usa to do," she said.

Commissioner Tick Segerblom, who spearheaded the initial attempt to legalize lounges as a state senator in 2017, chosen for the county to concur a public meeting with industry representatives as early as next month, as the county begins to determine local regulations.

While he acknowledged not wanting to get too far out in front of the state'south efforts, "I don't desire to get too far behind either because this is going to be a huge industry."

Unanswered questions

Consumption lounges will be allowed to either be attached or directly adjacent to an existing clinic, or to be separate, independent establishments, and they volition exist licensed by state and local governments.

"From my perspective, the location of these dispensaries and obviously the associated consumption lounge is something the public's going to be very interested in," said Commissioner Ross Miller, who asked for the discussion Tuesday.

Miller, who as an attorney had represented companies which challenged the state'south process for awarding multi-million dollar dispensary licenses, said he believed that a public hearing should be required for all canonical lounges.

It is unclear how many licenses volition ultimately be given out — initially, there volition be 20 for independent lounges — or how many will be in the unincorporated canton, officials said.

Commission Chairman Jim Gibson questioned whether the technology could keep up with land expectations to effectively control odors of marijuana, particularly outside.

"Whatever comes out of this needs to lead us all to engineering science that really works," he said, calculation that dispensaries, different cultivation facilities, take not typically had to deal with odors.

"That may hateful the building is wholly inadequate to accommodate capturing and maintaining and retaining everything that is in that location," he said.

Las Vegas keeping sentinel

While the canton is beginning to accost social use venue regulations, the city of Las Vegas is watching the land'due south procedure in society to determine what it may need to update in its existing ordinance.

In May 2019, metropolis lawmakers canonical lounges within city limits, merely the country Legislature barred local governments from licensing whatever such business for two years while the country studied the issue.

The city has already identified small-scale changes it must make to its ordinance and it should accept a timeline for formally alteration its bill following the state Cannabis Compliance Board's adoption of final regulations, according to city spokesman Jace Radke.

Commissioner Justin Jones suggested that the canton and cities in Southern Nevada should work together.

"It would exist nice if we could exist on the same page as much equally possible with other jurisdictions then nosotros don't have different processes in different parts of the valley," he said.

Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.

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Source: https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/clark-county-preparing-for-cannabis-lounges-2507545/

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