Buying legal weed in Las Vegas has suddenly become ridiculously easy after being frustratingly difficult for years—often in ways that are hard to explain. Nevada voters approved marijuana for legal medical use way back in 2000, but dispensaries to actually sell the stuff weren’t approved by the state legislature until 2013. So for more than a decade, the most feasible law-abiding way to light up was by growing your own plants. Dispensaries finally opened in 2015, and after voters gave recreational marijuana the thumbs up in 2016 it was just a matter of how to handle the floodgates.
Whether on the Strip, in Henderson or throughout the suburbs, a dispensary is now a short drive away. Customers just need to show a valid ID to prove they’re over 21. That includes those from out-of-state as well—linking yet another vice to the economic driver of tourism, which is really what Las Vegas is about in the first place.
Although Sin City allows open containers of alcohol in tourist areas like the Strip and Fremont Street, the same can’t be said for marijuana, which is expected to be consumed privately. Unfortunately, most hotels have a policy against smoking (pot or any other kind at this point) but are relatively lax in enforcing punishment against it. Be aware—room cleaning fees aren’t cheap.
Courtesy of Essence
Essence
Multiple Locations
Sleek and stylish with three locations and tons of product
Bright, clean, and neat with lots of white decor, Essence likes to think of itself as the “Apple Store” of the local pot economy. Depending on where you mark your boundaries, the flagship location is the only dispensary actually on the Strip — near the south end by the Stratosphere, SLS and other Las Vegas landmarks.