Nevada Approves First Conditional License for Stand-Alone Cannabis Consumption Lounge

The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) on Tuesday granted a conditional license to the first independent cannabis consumption lounge. The approval paves the way for the first social-use cannabis lounges to open in the fall.  

Last fall, the agency awarded prospective licenses for 40 cannabis consumption lounges tied to adult-use dispensaries. Last month, three dispensaries got their conditional license from CCB to open their lounges.   

The license was awarded to La Lounge, LLC, which is owned by a group of attorneys, a doctor, and a commercial developer, and the group said they plan to build the lounge in Clark County along with a restaurant but have not announced an exact location. 

The businesses awarded with prospective licenses must still get approval from municipalities or counties before getting a final license. 

The majority – 21 – of the 40 prospective licenses already awarded are in unincorporated Clarke County, while 15 are for Las Vegas, two for Nye County, and one each for Storey and Washoe counties, according to state data. 

In a press release, the CCB said that during the Tuesday meeting, it also voted to adopt regulations that allow for greater flexibility in air ventilation requirements for cannabis consumption lounges, which the agency says will further reduce barriers of entry for all potential licensees including social-equity applicants.