Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 3 July 2017
Tourists, locals buy Nevada’s legal recreational marijuana

By REGINA GARCIA CANO ding. But even before he flight to depart. He drove and hemp wraps. ers had stacks of pamphlets
JOHN LOCHER checked in to his hotel, he with his sister and soon-to- “It was worth the wait. I’m stating the regulations in
Associated Press stopped at a dispensary on be brother-in-law from the going to come get some every checkout station.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Cheers the Las Vegas Strip. rental car facility in Las Ve- more tomorrow,” Lorenzo Meanwhile, Kristin Deneal
and long lines of tourists got in line outside a pot
and locals alike greeted shop at 5:45 a.m., after a
the first day of sales of rec- different store that opened
reational marijuana on Sat- at midnight closed before
urday as Nevada became she could make a pur-
the fifth state with stores chase. She brought a fold-
selling pot to the public in ing chair and sat by the
a market that is expected door, striking conversations
to outpace all others in the with the security guard and
U.S. thanks to the millions of others as the line contin-
visitors who flock to Las Ve- ued to grow before doors
gas each year. opened at 9 a.m.
Veteran consumers, first- Deneal, a Las Vegas resi-
timers, twenty-somethings dent, said she is elated at
and retirees were among being able to legally buy
those who defied triple- the drug that for decades
digit temperatures before she has had to buy through
they made it into stores acquaintances.
across the Las Vegas area, Smoking marijuana helps
some of which opened her cope with health con-
shortly after midnight and ditions while also working a
later provided free water, stressful job at a bank, she
live music, valet parking said.
and coveted promotions “It looks like they have
on their valuable product. enough stuff for everyone,
Eager employees guided A cashier rings up a marijuana sale at the Essence cannabis dispensary, Saturday, July 1, 2017, it’s just a question of get-
customers and answered in Las Vegas. Nevada dispensaries were legally allowed to sell recreational marijuana starting ting through the door,” De-
at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
questions from product (AP Photo/John Locher) neal, 57, said.
potency to Nevada’s con- State Sen. Tick Segerblom,
sumption regulations. Lorenzo, 21, said he gas straight to the dispen- said after paying about one of the main propo-
Minnesota resident Edgar learned of the legalization sary. They waited in line $60 in cash at Essence dis- nents of marijuana legal-
Rosas Lorenzo on Satur- of recreational marijuana about 40 minutes before pensary. “It helps me sleep. ization in Nevada, made
day flew with his family to in Nevada while he was at he could buy one-eighth I get back pain. I have a the first purchase at The
Sin City for his sister’s wed- the airport waiting for his of an ounce of marijuana slipped disk.” Source dispensary at a
Some dispensaries took strip mall. Deneal and oth-
to social media to spread ers followed. An hour after
the word or tried to draw in the door opened, at least
buyers with special events. 80 transactions had been
Some gave away free mar- recorded.
ijuana to their first 100 cus- Some facilities are in strip
tomers, and at least one malls, while others, in ste-
entered buyers into a raffle reotypical Las Vegas fash-
Located in the Riu Antilles Resort (Formerly the Westin Resort) for free pot for a year. ion, are in neighborhoods
FREE TRANSPORTATION TO THE CASINO FROM ALL Those 21 and older with a shared by strip clubs. Some
HIGH RISE AND LOW RISE HOTELS AND TIMESHARES. valid ID can buy up to an dispensaries have ATMs in-
CALL 525-7777 FOR MORE INFORMATION ounce of pot. As of Friday, side because they only ac-
the state had licensed 44 cept cash transactions for
LIVE POKER dispensaries to sell recre- marijuana.
Lorenzo immediately post-
ational marijuana. Thirty-
nine of those shops are in ed photos of his stash on
GAMES START 8 PM TO THE WEE HOURS the Las Vegas area. Snapchat. His friends have
Tourists — 42 million of said they’re jealous and
which stop in Sin City ev- asked where he bought
1-2.....2-5......5-5 1-3.....2-5......5-5 ery year — are expected the products, he said, add-
$100 HIGH HAND BONUSES EVERY HOUR to make nearly two of ev- ing that he’ll plan another
OVER $20,000 PER WEEK GIVEN OUT IN HIGH HAND BONUSES ery three recreational pot trip to Las Vegas specifical-
purchases in Nevada. But ly to legally purchase mari-
CRAPS people can only use the juana, not to visit the city’s
drug in a private home as it world famous casinos.
ONLY CASINO IN ARUBA TO OFFER 3, 4 & 5 TIME ODDS remains illegal to consume “We just got here ... Instead
it in public, including the of looking around in Vegas,
Strip, hotels and casinos. I’m in a dispensary,” he
SPORTSBOOK Violators face a $600 fine. said.
“I have yet to figure that In the afternoon, people
LIVE SIMULCAST OF ALL MAJOR TRACKS out,” Lorenzo said of where walking along the Strip
he will smoke the weed he seemed to be obeying the
THROUGHOBRED AND HARNESS got at the Essence dispen- state’s ban on public pot
sary, which along with oth- smoking.q