Weedweek alerted me to this, an illustration of how cannabis once regulated influences things in rather weird and wonderful ways..
The Nevada Independent writes
The contentious fight between Nevada casinos and the politically powerful Culinary Workers Union Local 226 over legally mandated daily room cleaning is coming back to Carson City from an unexpected source — a freshman Republican state senator.
Sen. Lori Rogich (R-Las Vegas) told The Nevada Independent Tuesday that she will introduce a measure to mandate daily room cleaning in hotels and casinos with the goal of addressing the illicit cannabis market. It’s illegal to consume cannabis outside of a private residence or a cannabis consumption lounge; the legal industry has blamed its flagging revenue numbers on lack of enforcement of a sizable unregulated market.
“When you have folks in there, this is not occurring. There’s a set of eyes; we see what’s happening,” Rogich said, adding that reinstating the mandate would also alleviate burdens on room cleaners facing significant messes after not cleaning for a few days in a row.
In 2023, the Culinary Union fiercely opposed the passage of SB441, a bipartisan measure supported by the resort industry that ended daily room cleaning mandates initially implemented during the pandemic.
During months of negotiations with more than 50 Strip and downtown resort operators that finally wrapped up in early 2024, the union reinstated daily room cleaning language into the five-year collective bargaining agreements that expire in 2028.
Rogich, a regulatory compliance attorney focused on the cannabis industry, said she saw the bill as a way to address the illegal and unregulated sale of cannabis, which can lead to buyers consuming contaminated batches of the drug, can reduce tax revenue flowing to the government and can harm the legal industry.
Rogich is still working through the language for the bill but said she hopes to include a reporting mechanism for room cleaners who find unauthorized cannabis. She said she hasn’t spoken with Senate Democrats about the measure because it’s still being written.
Read more
