Weed is legal in Vegas

[Rob]

I'm just sayin is that one of the reason I go to Negril is because I know I can get weed.I like my weed. I never carry on planes and have had some hairy situations in other islands trying to buy. Negril is nothing like Vegas but now I know I can go on my vacations there and have access.
Rob,I am sure many hotels in Vegas turn a blind eye to the weed smell in the rooms?

Actually it is the opposite. From the Los Angeles Times:

“Marijuana is legal in the privacy of your own home, your own domain,” said Officer Jay Rivera, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. “You cannot smoke it publicly.

“As far as I know, there’s no hotel property that allows it either on the Strip or Fremont Street,” he added. “They do not want it on their property.”

Rivera’s assessment is supported by the two biggest players along the Strip, Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts.

In a statement, Caesars said: "Marijuana use remains illegal under federal law, and the Nevada referendum and state law will specifically prohibit its use in public places. For these reasons, the consumption of marijuana will continue to be impermissible at all Caesars Entertainment properties in Nevada.”

Gordon Absher, a senior executive at MGM Resorts, was even more blunt.

“Use of marijuana remains prohibited at our properties notwithstanding approval of recreational use in Nevada,” he said in an email.

http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/...616-story.html

The main reason is that any place that makes money from gambling, which is a very highly government regulated industry cannot afford to go against federal law, regardless of the Nevada state law. To risk losing their gaming license so that a guest can light up in their room is just not worth it for the casino hotels. I am sure there are "off the Strip" hotels that will turn a blind eye, but these are not the kind of hotels that most tourists have in mind for a Vegas vacation, and certainly not for a wedding party.

[Whynot]

I ,myself am not such a proponent to "follow laws" I also think that Jamaica is born from the lawless pirates and Vegas is ,ya know "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" I also think most Negril folks are not that law abiding? Do you agree?

[Rob]

Whynot,

You can do whatever you want. But you also have to be willing to face the consequences of your actions.

Living here, I can assure you that most of the over 6000 residents are as law abiding as they can be. In fact, that is why any community works, because most people are as law abiding as possible.

But life in Negril is about as different from life in Las Vegas as I can imagine. Vegas has 100 times the population of Negril.

Trying to compare a developing island country's small tourist destination to the "dolphins in the desert" mega resort city of Las Vegas is counter productive. Negril was having it's very first tourists when the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was being erected. Vegas already had tourism history.

But in Negril, you can light up most places where smoking cigarettes is not banned and the worst you can get is a j$500 ticket. No police record. It is not the same for Vegas.

Vegas and the ganja laws are more "what you buy in Vegas, you can't use in Vegas". If you do and get caught, you will end up with a police record. And be us$600 in the hole.

Hear or read it from the dispensary operators in Vegas. From July 31st, an NPR interview, "Tourists Buying Marijuana In Las Vegas Have Nowhere To Smoke It In Las Vegas"

http://www.npr.org/2017/07/31/540652...t-in-las-vegas

Why not come to Negril for no problems...

[jojo p]

Whynot, this is the craziest thread I have read in a long time, so you think that weed being legalized in Vegas would take away from Negril....you are mistaken, Negril has a vibe that you will never experience in vegas, what a weird comparison !!!

[halfwaytree]

jojo p, I agree. Negril and Vegas are like apples and oranges. You may as well compare vacationing in NYC to a visit to the Grand Canyon. Two totally different vibes and everything else. With that said, the fact that you can now purchase weed legally in Vegas, may attract more visitors but it will not take anything away from the reasons people visit Negril.

[Bnewb]

I haven't asked Rob why he left this thread up...I'm guessing it's because this is a frequently asked question when ganja is discussed...primarily after a US state and/or country legalizes it (coming soon to Canada).
Loads of folks have thought changing the laws in other countries may change the amount of tourists visiting Jamaica....but, I agree with everyone here..."apples and oranges"...many, many visitors don't come here for the weed.

[SVW]

True Bnewb-I don't smoke anything but keep coming back to Jamaica for so many other reasons.

[Rob]

Yes, Lisa is correct. Every time a country or another State in the USA decides to change their ganja laws, this question comes up.

I thought the Vegas example was the perfect one to remain and reply to as a case of what happens when new ganja laws are implemented too quickly. The dispensaries themselves are complaining about the tourists' ability to buy but not use. A real life Catch 22.

Las Vegas is a huge Federal tax paying entity in the US. There are so many rules and regulations that comes with being America's gambling mecca that there is no way that they want their golden goose to be cooked. Or vaped.

Ganja is still illegal under US Federal Law and there are plenty of Feds in Vegas. The number of Air Marshalls there on any given night has to be staggering. And whether we like thinking about it or not, Las Vegas is a brightly lit target. The amount of Federal agents and surveillance there must be mind numbing. There are also cameras on the streets to monitor the comings and goings of everyone and anything from pretty much every angle. An unfortunate reality in today's world and Las Vegas has been doing an amazing job! Unless you think they are leaving it all to Lady Luck (I was never lucky in that place.)

Anyone who has spent time in the Vegas casinos even decades ago can attest to the ratio of actual gambling visitors to the incredible number of hired security of all ages, races and appearances. The casinos now employ the best facial/body/voice/? recognition software available anywhere. Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen were just movies.

Jamaica is taking a more measured approach. The present decriminalization of small amounts is a perfect start. It does not really change anything, other than allow those who were smoking previously from looking over their shoulder. I have yet to hear of an actual ticket being issued for a spliff since the law changed. Medicinal laws are already being finalized with pharmaceuticals being developed. And learning from other places, such as Colorado, Amsterdam (which changed their laws) and Nevada (which needs to change their laws) will help Jamaica craft their laws using hindsight and prevent the legal impasse that has happened in other places.

I hope this will put this issue to rest. Whynot's question has served a good purpose.

Ganja has been around forever and some many people use it and many others do not. So come to Jamaica and feel alright and dont worry about a thing!

[Whynot]

Thanks Rob,I don't see the need for "hysteria" ? I just thought some young groups who are not that Jamaica crazy but just want to party may have chosen a 2 hour flight to Vegas instead of 4 hours & go through customs if they were coming from western or middle America or say Canada.

If you flip the conversation I say that due to the many storms in the Caribbean, Florida etc,that many will cancel and now go to Jamaica. I know I have a Key West trip for December and a Jamaica coming up in May I was going to cancel KW and just go twice to Negril but somehow Key West didn't get hit that bad?

[Rob]

Whynot,

No worries. I am sure when Canada legalizes it, the question will be asked again.

And btw, Canadians going to Vegas have to go through US Customs.

It is sad to see the damage Irma caused. Having been through every hurricane that has hit or skirted Jamaica since Gilbert, the damage Irma caused hits home.

And Maria is already headed to some of the same islands that Irma hit, this is almost too much to imagine. This is not the way we want to have a tourism increase. Pray for those in Maria's path.