The Vegas Hemp Hustle: Tourists Duped by Strip’s Slick Cannabis Cons

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In the neon-lit heart of Sin City, where every vice finds a corner to thrive, a series of sham dispensaries are playing a wicked game with tourists. Nestled inconspicuously near the bustling entrances of mega-casinos like Planet Hollywood, these stores sport massive green pot leaves and shelves brimming with what look like the finest cannabis concoctions.

Yet, this façade is merely a façade. Welcome to places like The Plug, a notorious hemp shop on the Vegas Strip that’s pulling one over on unwary visitors. With a dismal 1.2-star rating on Google Maps, it’s clear something’s rotten in the state of Nevada. The kicker? These joints only deal in hemp, cannabis’s non-intoxicating cousin, devoid of THC, the chemical that gives users their beloved high.

Marijuana might be legal in Nevada, but these stores, strategically placed just beyond a casino’s reach—no legal weed store can operate within 1,500 feet of a casino—sell only the buzzkill variety. This sneaky placement capitalizes on tourists’ unfamiliarity with local cannabis laws, leading many to purchase what they believe is a THC-rich product, only to discover they’ve been hoodwinked.

Customers like Charlie Garoupa are none too pleased, as his scathing review of Rey Las Vegas, another such establishment, illustrates. “TRASH! This is not weed. This place is a con job preying on tourists,” he wrote. Rey Las Vegas, which sits perilously close to Planet Hollywood, sports a slightly better yet equally dismal 1.3-star rating.

Las Vegas attempted to clamp down on these deceptive practices last June by mandating clear signage indicating these are not licensed cannabis sellers, along with proper labeling of THC potency on products. Despite these efforts, the Strip, which largely falls outside Las Vegas city limits and into Clark County’s jurisdiction, remains a fertile ground for these scams.

Erik Pappa, a Clark County spokesperson, assures that the county actively checks hemp stores for compliance, investigating when complaints are lodged. Yet, the new signage seems to have done little to curb the deceit. Reddit and Google Maps are awash with tales of woe and warnings from duped customers, like one from Vladimir Klimok who recently advised, “This place is a scam, people watch out.”

In Las Vegas, the house always wins, and in the case of these hemp hustlers, they’re betting on tourists’ cannabis confusion to keep cashing in.

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