Getting High in Sin City: What You Need to Know About Weed in Vegas

Are you planning a trip to Vegas? If you’re a stoner, good news! Recreational marijuana is legal in Las Vegas! Ever since January of 2017, Nevada residents and tourists indulged in legal marijuana.

In the first six months of legalization, the state of Nevada made $30 million off marijuana taxes alone! Sales are only expected to grow as more tourists visit Sin City and more people move to Nevada.

But everything isn’t so simple and hazy. If you plan on smoking weed in Vegas, you need to be prepared for the laws and regulations. Here’s everything you need to know about weed in Vegas.

Buying Marijuana

Before you can smoke marijuana in Vegas, you need to purchase it from a dispensary. Here are some facts about dispensaries.

Like buying alcohol, buying marijuana has some strict regulations. This includes:

• You have to be at least 21 to purchase marijuana
• You can only purchase an ounce of marijuana flower or an eighth of marijuana concentrate

The amount you buy also depends on how long you visit the dispensary. For example, you can only buy two and a half ounces for up to two weeks. This law is relaxed for medical marijuana users.

Even though recreational marijuana is legal, medical marijuana buyers have certain privileges.

For example, consumers have to wait at a dispensary because each marijuana transaction is done in private. Medical marijuana consumers can skip this line.

How to Buy Marijuana

If you’ve never been in a dispensary before, the experience can be overwhelming. Here’s some information to know.

When You Enter

A traditional dispensary has a waiting room and a separate room with the marijuana products. This ensures privacy; many medical consumers have serious medical conditions.

You immediately walk up to the receptionist and hand your photo ID. You’ll wait for your turn. This depends on how many customers walked in before you.

When it’s your turn to meet with the budtender, you enter the separate room. From here, you tell the budtender which products you want and they will handle the transaction in the same room.

How Much Should You Buy?

While you can have up to an ounce of marijuana flower, all marijuana users know an ounce is a lot. So how much do you buy? This depends on how much you smoke and how long you’re staying in Vegas.

The best course of action is to ask your budtender for a recommendation. You can also start by buying a pre-rolled joint or two and go from there.

What to Buy

When you enter the dispensary, you’ll see there are many marijuana products. These include:

• Marijuana flower
• Edibles
• Concentrate

Each of these products alters the method of consuming marijuana and even affect the potency. Concentrates are some of the most potent but they require a separate vape pen.

Many people prefer marijuana flower, but they each have different types of strains. These are:

• Sativa
• Indica
• Hybrid of both

Sativa gives you an energetic high and indicas make you feel relaxed.

Tourists prefer eating edibles because they don’t have to worry about smoking anything. But be careful! Edibles pack a stronger punch than you think.

Are You Still Confused?

Don’t fret if you’re still confused. If you’re unsure what to buy, ask your budtender for a recommendation. Budtenders from dispensaries like Planet 13 are knowledgeable and friendly. They can help you make a purchase decision.

Where Can You Use Marijuana?

This is the million dollar question that all tourists want to know.

In short, you can’t use marijuana in public. No, you can’t walk down the Strip while making a joint. You have to smoke marijuana in a private place.

Well that’s fine, right? Just smoke marijuana in your hotel.

Since you don’t own the hotel, you technically can’t smoke marijuana in your hotel. Some hotels and Air BnBs have relaxed marijuana consumption policies. But it’s best to check before lighting up.

What if you drive to Vegas? Can you smoke pot in your car?

Technically, the answer is no. Your car is your property, but Vegas law enforcement still prohibits this.

Vegas tourists have a few options:

• Use marijuana in a place where it’s allowed (yes – they do exist!)
• Eat an edible
• Try your best and hide it

Okay, okay – you should really follow the law and not use marijuana in a public place. If you get caught, it’s a $1,000 fine. 

Traveling With Marijuana

Now your Vegas trip is over and you’re going home. Can you bring marijuana home with you?

The short answer is: absolutely not.

It’s illegal to drive outside of Vegas with marijuana you purchased in Vegas. It’s also illegal to take marijuana on an airplane unless you’re going to a different city in Vegas (it’s still not recommended).

Transporting marijuana across state boundaries, whether by car or plane, is a federal crime. If your buddies ask you to bring back some Vegas shatter, tell them they’re out of luck.

Get High Responsibly

We have all been too high before. We all know the feeling of smoking two joints, eating five pot brownies, and crawling up in a ball and calling your mom because you feel like you’re going to die.

Marijuana is all fun and games. But use it responsibly.

First off, know your limits. Some people can smoke a whole joint by themselves and others can’t do so without passing out after a few minutes. Pace yourself. Especially if this is your first time using marijuana.

Be careful with edibles. We can’t stress this enough. Eat one and wait an hour.

Don’t mix alcohol with marijuana unless you’ve done it before or do it consistently. And don’t take any illegal drugs.

Enjoy Weed in Vegas!

There’s finally weed in Vegas! But you have to know the laws and how to buy marijuana. Once you do, you can float around the Strip and feel hazy while playing the slots!

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