While there may come a day when marijuana is legal for recreational use all across the nation, that day is nowhere in sight yet. President Donald J. Trump has said he would be willing to remove marijuana from Schedule One of the United States Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (USCSA), but that is far from something certain to happen in light of his Attorney General’s feelings about marijuana, and marijuana users. It would be certainly be a good thing for the nation if marijuana were legal for adults everywhere, but for now, those few states which have legalized marijuana for recreational purposes are finding themselves at a distinct advantage when it comes to what is now being called marijuana tourism, and those in the recreational marijuana business in Los Angeles are hoping to cash in on this.
One hotel in Coachella Valley has started an ad campaign where they are telling prospective guests they are welcome to some marijuana at the pool. They are also allowing guests to use vaporizers in their rooms, though they cannot smoke due to existing laws. As our Los Angeles medical marijuana attorneys can explain, since smoking in public is largely illegal, it is hard to attract marijuana tourists because even though they can legally purchase marijuana and cannabis products, they will not have any place to consume it. If hotels are able to find ways to allow guests to use marijuana on their properties, it will certainly make the area more friendly to cannabis tourism.
One of the things that surprised the owners of this hotel was that not only did business already increase by as much as 50 percent, but the guests were mainly members of the baby boomer generation and not the millennials they had been expecting to come in droves, though there was an increase in these guests as well.
Another method being tried is the use of cannabis vending machines on hotel property. It would seem harder to keep minors from purchasing marijuana from a vending machine, but these machines actually feature sophisticated age verification hardware and software designed to prohibit the sale of cannabis products to underage consumers in compliance with state law.
There are of course those who are opposed to expanding marijuana tourism, and they keep coming up with new arguments to prevent what is clearly a growing trend. One of these latest arguments is the smoke will cause a smell, and this will force hotel owners to spend a lot of money cleaning the rooms, which will outweigh the benefits of any additional tourism.
The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients, defendants, workers and those facing criminal marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.
Additional Resources:
Full vending machines. Pot on the pillow. What some California hotels are doing to attract marijuana smokers, June 22, 2018, By Hugo Marin, Los Angeles Times
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Licensed Cannabis Business Drivers Arrested, Van Confiscated, Jan. 17, 2018, Cannabis Law Group