A random drawing to determine the winners of 20 cannabis consumption lounge licenses in Nevada will be held at 2 p.m. Pacific Time on Nov. 30 at the state’s Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) offices in Las Vegas. The event can be viewed via livestream.

The new licenses—10 of which are reserved for social equity applicants—will be awarded to those who plan to operate a consumption lounge independent from an existing retail facility. Overall, 30 social equity and 49 nonsocial equity applicants submitted the proper paperwork for the licenses during a 10-day window last month, according to CCB.

In addition, another 20 applications were completed for a retail license type, allowing for established dispensaries to have a consumption lounge attached or adjacent to their current facility. State officials did not cap the number of lounge licenses for retailers, so those submissions are not subject to a lottery.

License Application Type	Completed Applications
Retail Cannabis Consumption Lounge	20
Independent Lounge (Nonsocial Equity)	49
Independent Lounge (Social Equity)	30
Total	99

The 79 total applicants for the 20 independent licenses will be selected from a computerized system provided by New Jersey-based Smartplay International Inc. Auditing and consulting firm Henry and Horne will oversee the event.

“Those selected to receive a prospective license will receive a letter from the CCB, upon which applicants will move into a ‘prospective licensee’ status and will have 120 days to provide the documentation and information required for the CCB’s suitability investigation,” according to a press release from the board.

The CCB provides a checklist on its website for prospective license holders. 

State regulators anticipate that the first cannabis consumption lounges will open during the first half of 2023 in Nevada.

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