The Nevada Gaming Commission told casino licensees that they should not agree to allow the smoking of marijuana on their properties as long as the federal and state governments have still not reached an agreement over the legal status of weed in casinos. A brief was issued by the regulators following a November 8th referendum where Nevadans voted to allow the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. The brief reiterated a similar warning made to Nevada-based casinos in 2014 when the state allowed businesses to dispense medical marijuana for the first time.
At the time, the statement by the Nevada Gaming Commission and the Nevada Gaming Control Board read: “Unless the federal law is changed, the board does not believe investment or any other involvement in a medical marijuana facility or establishment by a person who has received a gaming approval or has applied for a gaming approval is consistent with the effective regulation of gaming. Further, the board believes that any such investment or involvement by gaming licensees or applicants would tend to reflect discredit upon gaming in the state of Nevada.”
Earlier this month, Nevada residents approved Question 2 which makes marijuana legal almost in the same way that alcohol is. However, the gambling regulators in the state don’t want to allow pot to be smoked in casinos since the federal government still bans the substance. They also believe that there is a chance that Donald Trump’s choice for the US Attorney General, the Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, may take steps against Nevada’s $11 billion a year casino industry should marijuana also be involved.
The regulators thus said that was “not suitable” to allow marijuana in gaming areas as long as it was banned by the federal government.
The chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission Tony Alamo said about the issue this week: “In no way do I feel comfortable in my role as regulator to allow a licensee to permit a felonious act to occur anywhere in their property.”
Also commenting was Commissioner Randolph Townsend who was quoted as saying: “Were we to take a position that would allow a federal law to be broken and not act on it, that has a great chance of inviting federal intervention.”
Nevada may have said yes to the medical and recreational use of pot, but it still violates federal law to use or sell the substance.
