Official criticizes report on pollution

Groups say LV Valley among worst in U.S.

A new report identifies Las Vegas as having some of the most polluted air among U.S. metropolitan areas, but a local air quality official said the findings “scream of bias.”

The report published Wednesday by a trio of environmental and public research groups listed the valley as being second among the top 10 U.S. metropolitan areas in terms of “degraded air quality,” trailing only the Riverside, Ontario and San Bernardino region in California. It said both Las Vegas and Henderson saw 145 days of “damaging levels of air pollution” in 2016, attributable mainly to car emissions.

“That is more than four months of days with dirty air, which is too much air pollution,” said Christy Leavitt, co-author of the report by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, the Frontier

AIR QUALITY

an annual $5,000 fee, have 24-hour surveillance and be located at least 1,000 feet from schools.

The venues would be barred from selling marijuana and serving alcohol above 11 percent by volume, and they couldn’t store marijuana products onsite, according to the draft rules.

Las Vegas Councilman Bob Coffin, who is sponsoring the city’s ordinance, favors allowing beer and winesalesatthevenuessothere’s more of a “social atmosphere.”

“Social requires several kinds of lubricants and food,” Coffin said.

Coffin said he uses marijuana medicinally to alleviate spinal pain that stems from a car crash injury.

Marijuana delivery to the venues isn’t allowed, but the city’s draft rules leave open the possibility for delivery if state law changes. The proposal wouldn’t allow for any cannabis consumption outdoors at the venues that are granted licenses, such as beer gardens or rooftops.

Employees at the lounges couldn’t be “intoxicated or under the influence” of alcohol or marijuana while working. Some speakers asked the city to define that and voiced concerns that venue employees might be medical marijuana users. Others

took issue with how high the annual fee is or said some outdoor use should be allowed.

City officials are grappling with how to balance that line with the reality of secondhand effects for venue employees in a room where people are smoking for hours, Scott said.

“We’re trying to figure that out,” Scott said.

Clark County commissioners mulled allowing consumption lounges last year but backed away before voting on the proposal.

In 2016, Denver voters approved a cannabis consumption establishment license, and in February, the city approved the first business license allowing patrons to use marijuana. The Coffee Joint in Denver is the Mile High City’s first licensed cannabis consumption club and coffeehouse, and it allows of-age patrons to consume edibles or vape inside the cafe.

Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of recreational marijuana sales in Nevada. Some marijuana dispensaries in California allow onsite consumption.

“We got here slowly,” Coffin said. “We’re not going to solve everything with the first bill.”

Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Follow @Journo_jamie_ on Twitter.