John SchroyerNevada lawmakers are likely to reconsider a bill next year to allow temporary pop-up cannabis consumption lounges in the state for events such as music festivals and marijuana business conferences.
That’s according to Clark County Chairman Tick Segerblom, a longtime cannabis industry ally who helped push for legalization during his time in the state legislature. Segerblom told FOX5 that he, the speaker of the Nevada House of Representatives, a state senator, and several other Clark County officials recently took a trip to the California State Fair to see how the Golden State is operating similar pop-up consumption lounges for visitors, as prep work for a new bill next year to allow similar operations in Las Vegas.
“The thought was, let’s see how it works. And if it seems simple enough, they can take it to (the state Capitol in) Carson City and do it,” Segerblom said. “It’s controlled access. You have fences around it so people can’t get in. You have placed security guards to make sure that that you’re nothing unusual happens.”
Segerblom said the pop-up lounge concept will primarily be tied to large festivals or other such gatherings, given that Nevada already has a licensing system in place for permanent consumption lounges. Thus far, there are two operational lounges in Las Vegas, with another 38 in the pipeline. But the business model has yet to be proven, with industry insiders saying lounges are less of a direct moneymaker than they are a draw to attract customers for retail sales.
Thus far, there’s no draft of a bill nor an obvious sponsor for it in the state legislature, Segerblom said. A proposed bill last year to allow mobile cannabis lounges failed.
