Cannabis enthusiasts mark 4/20 Day as second Pahrump dispensary under construction

Nye Countians are set to mark 4/20 Day on Wednesday, the unofficial holiday observing and celebrating cannabis, which became legal in Nevada in 2017.

There’s still a bit of a haze when it comes to the origins of the day.

A common belief is that 420 was the California penal code for the drug, but there is no evidence to support that. Another theory is that there are 420 chemicals in marijuana — but that’s not quite grounded in facts either. (There are more than 500 chemicals in cannabis.)

The best possibility of the origins of the holiday date back to the 1970s, when a group of high school kids ritualistically smoked at 4:20 p.m. each evening. The ritual spread, according to legend, and the day of celebration was born.

Regardless of its origins, the legalization in most states, including Nevada, has drastically altered the significance of the holiday.

“Every day is 4/20 now,” said Anthony Cazuca, a local pot smoker.

Local suppliers, such as the Grove Cannabis Dispensary, still claim 4/20 as one of its busiest — if not the busiest — retail day of the year.

And consumers now look forward to the deals on 4/20 Day.

“I don’t necessarily smoke more on that day, but I do take advantage of the specials being offered,” said Laura Graham, local pot smoker.

Lounges on their way

Some five years after Nevada saw its first legal marijuana sales, locals and tourists alike may soon be able to consume it in legal cannabis lounges — the first of their kind in the U.S.

As it stands, Nevada’s cannabis tourists have few places to smoke their purchased weed.

Under the law, cannabis consumers may only smoke weed or otherwise use marijuana on private property — meaning your own home or at another private residence with permission. Smoking is largely prohibited in hotel rooms.

It is also against federal law to travel with cannabis across state lines.

“Lounges will be great for people who visit Vegas and buy the stuff, but have nowhere else to legally smoke it. But as a local, I won’t be utilizing the lounges hardly, if at all,” Graham said.

No date has been set as to when the first cannabis lounge could open in Pahrump. County officials would have to approve regulations that outline how local lounges would operate.

Competition and specials

The 4/20 holiday comes as the county’s second legal cannabis dispensary is under construction.

The Source, which operates four locations in Las Vegas, is expected to open a location in Pahrump at Homestead Road, just south off Highway 160.

Calls to The Source on Monday were not answered, but the dispensary is expected to be completed by Aug. 5.

Presently, the Grove is the only dispensary in Pahrump. One of its 4/20 packages includes a 3.5g Kannibis Eighth, and .5g Polaris Cartridge, 1 100mg Yummies Chocolate, and 2 Kannibis Prerolls for $100.