Lead photo via The Source Nevada

By skipping the regulatory red tape that usually serves as a multi-year buffer between the passing of legal cannabis legislation and the start of recreational sales, Nevada sparked a huge new tourist attraction for Las Vegas visitors this summer, raking in a record $27 million in sales and $3.6 million in tax revenue in the first month alone. But while Sin City fully embraced the state’s early recreational sales start, other areas of Nevada weren’t as quick to hop on board. After a number of municipalities put moratoriums on recreational sales, 39 of Nevada’s initial 44 licensed adult-use pot shops popped up in the Las Vegas metro area.

Now, after more than three months of industry success in Vegas, Henderson — Nevada’s second largest city — has licensed five of its existing medical pot shops to sell recreational cannabis, with retail sales slated to start Friday, October 20th.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jenny’s Dispensary, Essence, The Source, The Dispensary NV, and Nevada Medical Marijuana have all been approved to make recreational sales, with Henderson’s City Council voting 4-1 in favor of the four of the pot shops and 3-2 in favor of the other.

Henderson's council had previously passed moratoriums on recreational sales, blocking a legal weed market from February 2017 until last month, when a 3-2 vote opened the door for local businesses to finally get in on the Silver State’s green rush.

“This makes the most sense,” Armen Yemenidjian, owner and CEO of dispensary Essence Vegas, told the Review-Journal. “Just because retail marijuana hasn’t been sold here doesn’t mean people haven’t been purchasing it. They’ve just been going to other jurisdictions. This is going to be a great opportunity for the city.”

But before they sell any retail bud, each of the five dispensaries will have to pony up $71,000 for a recreational marijuana seller's license and make sure their location fits the state’s cannabis zoning regulations — sitting at least 300 feet from any community centers, 1,000 feet from any schools, public parks and playgrounds, and over one mile away from any other dispensaries.

Unlike the all-night party that accompanied recreational sales’ midnight kick-off in Las Vegas this past July, Henderson’s newly licensed dispensaries will open tomorrow at a more reasonable 8 or 9 am. Still, we wouldn’t be surprised if some overly-excited stoners camped out overnight to make sure they’re first in line.