Durrett referenced a prohibition on delivery to the strip corridor, which could promote sales from illegal delivery operations. “National data shows that daily cannabis consumption has surpassed daily alcohol consumption. Nevada needs to provide safe and responsible ways for tourists to engage in legal activities without artificial barriers that embolden sales of illegal, untested products.” Durrett also points to a policy report published by the CPI that examines these issues.

To further investigate consumer behavior and attitudes, CPI Research Director Marla Royne Stafford led a national survey and determined that cannabis consumption may not suppress gaming activity as many may have assumed. For example, the survey of 620 people showed that only about 24 percent would gamble more if they were able to use cannabis while gambling, and about 68% of respondents reported they never use cannabis while gambling. It is important to note that people can both gamble and consume cannabis in different ways, so despite the illegal nature of cannabis use in casinos, eating other consumables in casinos is untraceable, and smoking cannabis while gambling online in one’s home is hardly illegal. Still, only about eight percent of respondents reported that using cannabis or being high on cannabis makes the gambling experience less enjoyable. Yet, about 40 percent were somewhat likely or very likely to gamble at a casino if it were legal to consumer cannabis on the property. As Stafford notes, “while our research has some interesting findings about perceptions of the simultaneous use of cannabis and gaming, there is still more work we want to do at the CPI to better understand this relationship…”

With recent declining visitor rates and increasing gaming competition, Nevada may benefit from providing new hospitality experiences. The Cannabis Policy Institute recently co-hosted a panel discussion with the UNLV International Gaming Institute when casino operator Seth Schorr stated that “Visitation is down in Las Vegas. There’s a million reasons that we need every tool in the toolbox as a city to drive visitation,” citing competition from online betting and other gaming destinations.

A decade after advising gaming licensees that they could not engage in the cannabis market, former Nevada Gaming Control Board member Terry Johnson took a fresh look at the separation between gaming and cannabis in the state. During the recent UNLV panel, Johnson said, “I think this is a good time to see what additional tools might be at the disposal of our tourism officials, gaming officials, and cannabis persons.”…”I don’t think people are gonna stop coming to Nevada because a conversation like that takes place.”