Important things to know about Smoking Weed in a Las Vegas, NV Hotel
Do an internet search on Smoking Weed in a Las Vegas Hotel and you’ll receive some interesting results. First, you may be led to believe that just about every hotel room provider in Las Vegas wants you right now, smoking weed in their rooms. The marketing impression versus the reality of that situation, may not completely correlate. Weed marketing is in its infancy and some companies will use this new marketing method to make a name for themselves. What you may find missing in those search results are any type of endorsement, statement of support, or any type of weed marketing relating to a Casino and attached Hotel.
While it may be possible to find a very weed friendly hotel in Las Vegas who encourages the use of weed as a means of attracting guests, it will not be a casino related hotel. A quick reminder of the laws surrounding use of weed in Las Vegas. It is legal to possess up to one ounce of marijuana for personal use. It is legal to smoke weed for recreational purposes within the confines of your own home. It is not legal to smoke or consume weed in public. Recent attempts by city council to license weed lounges has been pushed back for two years by Governor Sisolak.
Most Casinos and Hotels do not allow smoking weed either on the Casino floor, or in hotel rooms attached to the Casino. In most cases, the newer ones, do not offer smoking rooms of any kind, therefore, smoking weed in your room is prohibited, and, if caught, you may be required to pay a “clean up” fee for violating the anti-smoking policy of the hotel or you could be ejected from the property immediately upon discovery. If your Casino/Hotel does provide smoking rooms they are limited to smoking tobacco products and if other customers complain about weed smell from a particular room, hotel management could eject you from the property, and may involve police.
So why the disconnect? Why have the major Casino properties in Las Vegas been so hesitant to offer endorsement of legal weed in Nevada as a further inducement to stay in their rooms. To date not one major resort executive has expressed endorsement for legal weed, nor have any major casino properties engaged in weed marketing to attract new guests.
The answer goes to what it takes to maintain a gaming license not just in Nevada but nationwide, and what masters the casino industry must serve to gain and keep a gaming license. Keep in mind that most weed based businesses of today may still not bank their profits in a federally insured bank. Furthermore, you may not use checks or credit cards to purchase weed products at a dispensary, but only cash and equivalency. Both check and credit card transactions involve the federal banking system in some form. The federal banking system does not recognize marijuana-based businesses as valid.
Keep in mind that at the federal government level, marijuana is still listed on DEA’s Schedule I of prohibited substances, making it equally illegal at the federal level as heroin, methamphetamines, LSD, and other such drugs. Among other things, what Casinos need, is a quick, available place to deposit cash and funds which can only be found today in federally insured banks. The casino companies will not do anything to compromise their access to banking services.
Until the dichotomy of the states legalizing a federally prohibited substance is rectified, and the federal government reclassifies marijuana to something other than its current prohibited status, the Casinos will continue to navigate at least a neutral ground between federal regulators and consumers when it comes to weed marketing, or even expressions of support of the state laws legalizing its use.
The Defenders provides legal defense for drug crimes
From a criminal perspective, if caught smoking weed in public in Las Vegas, you can be cited for public use of the drug. Furthermore, you may also be arrested for violation of any of the other drug laws that are currently on the books, such as possession with intent to sell, or even as little as possessing over 1 ounce of marijuana. If you come to Las Vegas and are faced with such complications, The Defenders provides defense services for such offenses. Call us at (702) 333-3333, or click the green button at the bottom of the page to text us your contact information.
