Editor's note: This story was originally published Nov. 28.
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 drawing can be viewed on the board's YouTube page (and the final results are now listed below).
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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Following are the lists of license winners announced by the CCB:
This list details the 10 independent cannabis consumption lounge social equity applicants selected to receive a prospective license during the Nov. 30 lottery:
This list details the 10 independent cannabis consumption lounge nonsocial equity applicants selected to receive a prospective license during the Nov. 30 lottery:
This list details the 20 completed retail cannabis consumption lounge applications submitted to the CCB during the October 2022 application window. There was no competitive selection process required for the issuance of retail cannabis consumption lounge licenses.
