This is a difficult question to pin down, but we can give you our opinion.
First, Fear and Loathing probably did more to encourage law enforcement to crack down on heavy-duty partying in Las Vegas than it did to widen the definition of partying. Indeed, Fear and Loathing was first published in 1971 and by then, there was a distinct backlash against vice in Vegas.
But let’s back up a bit, to the ‘60s. The following is just this writer’s personal take on the history of vice in Las Vegas years ago, and if any of you dears have different ideas, we’re all ears.
The old Mafia’s relationship to drugs has been covered in great detail; it was, for example, the pivotal plot point in Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. But according to conventional wisdom, the old-time Mafiosi didn’t like dope and that included everything from hard white powder to soft green marijuana. And the mob’s casino bosses hated it even more, rightly considering it competition for gambling. They loved alcohol, which went hand in hand with craps and roulette and slots, but "junkies" of any kind were most unwelcome in the casinos and the city.
The mob bosses had everything pretty much under control, with the willing cooperation of the city police and county deputies. Prostitution operated under a well-managed system whereby it was available but discreet, so as not to tarnish the still-questionable image of the nation’s only gambling city. And well into the sixties, drugs and hippies of any kind were decidedly unwelcome in the Hospitality Capital of the World. Being a longhair myself, I distinctly remember being warned never to hitchhike through Nevada and stay completely away from Las Vegas. (In 1969, I hitchhiked anyway, from New York to California, and had no problems in Nevada, only to get busted in Sacramento.)
But when Howard Hughes went on his buying spree, it signaled the beginning of the end of the mob’s control of the culture of Las Vegas. And vice in Vegas changed dramatically in the late ‘60s when Howard Hughes "bought out" the mob.
The traditional dynamics of the sex industry were turned upside down and in 1971, around the time that Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing was released, the Nevada Legislature had to pass the first law against prostitution in state history to control the situation in Las Vegas.
Also, drugs were as verboten as ever. Possession of any marijuana at all, even a joint or bowlful, was a felony, punishable by a mandatory prison term of at least one year and a fine of up to $5,000. In fact, in an academic book published by Rutgers University Press in the early 1980s, Morals Legislation Without Morality, authors John Gallagher and John Cross took Nevada to task over the moral hypocrisy of its embracing some visceral pleasures (gambling, prostitution, divorce), while severely punishing others (drugs, in particular).
The tide started to turn in the late 1990s. And with 65% of Nevada voters approving Question 9 on November 7, 2000, the state constitution was amended to recognize the medical use of marijuana.
Still, non-medical marijuana remained a felony and in 2001, the same year as state legislators passed a law making possession of less than an ounce of marijuana a misdemeanor, nearly 4,500 people were arrested for felony possession. In 2007, according to the DEA, more than 7,000 people were arrested on marijuana charges in Nevada (at an average cost of $11,500 per arrest). And only a few months ago, the DEA raided several marijuana "dispensaries" (which dispense only information about medical marijuana in Nevada), charging they were selling pot to their patients (though none was found).
The tide continues to turn. Recently, Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Policy collected 86,000 signatures to place an initiative to decriminalize possession of pot before legislators in 2011; if they don’t pass the proposal, it will automatically be placed on the 2012 ballot. In 2002, Nevada voters overwhelmingly rejected a move to legalize up to three ounces of marijuana, and it might not pass this time either (it was just voted down in California too).
But eventually, marijuana will be legalized and -- with the Netherlands as an example and certainly compared to the devastation wrought by legal alcohol and prescription drugs -- when it is, I predict that before long, everyone will wonder what the big problem was.
Another LVA staffer and QoDer has the following to add:
As far as the current climate is concerned, we've noticed a definite clampdown on any drug tolerance from the casinos over the past year or so, starting with the drug and prostitution bust at the Rio's topless pool when it was operated by Sapphire gentlemen's club. We understand that it was the Rio that called in Metro to initiate the undercover operation that resulted in multiple arrests for solicitation and drug-related charges, and caused the closure of the pool and termination of the relationship between the two companies. There was a mounting sense of the city's nightlife/"daylife" scene getting out of control, and especially in the current economic climate, there's just too much at stake to risk your casino license over drug-related violations.
The widely publicized closure of Privé nightclub at Planet Hollywood, following hefty fines, was another example of the zero-tolerance policy toward open drug use, which was a big factor in the club's demise. The policy doesn't only extend towards patrons, either. Most, if not all, casino properties require their workers to undergo periodic random drug testing.
This summer, employees of the Hard Rock's notorious Rehab pool party were called to a meeting under false pretenses and subjected to mandatory drug testing, while singer Bruno Marrs was busted for cocaine possession on-property after his own show at The Joint (the case comes up next month and he could face up to four years in prison, if convicted).
Similarly, Paris Hilton was famously banned from the Wynn properties after she was caught in possession of cocaine this year. Her boyfriend lost his job managing the properties' nightclubs on account of his DUI bust for marijuana intoxication on the Strip the same night.
These are just a few recent examples, but we note that the majority of these incidents all involved hard drugs -- primarily cocaine or ecstasy -- as opposed to marijuana. As to the latter, this writer does remember an incident about a decade ago when, in a former capacity, she was filming for Discovery Channel at a major casino that shall remain nameless, following a couple of "days in the life" of security there.
It turned out to be a very unremarkable weekend, with the dramatic high point being a report of a fight in a hotel guest room. Armed security guards descended on the scene and busted into the room, to be confronted by two teenage boys playing a PlayStation.
Things started to look up for this producer-in-search-of-some-action -- any action -- however, when the property hosted a BET party and a well-known rapper showed up to crash with his entourage. Said rapper is a notorious weed-smoker and proceeded to take over the poolside event, jumping on stage while smoking a huge joint. The air was soon thick with chronic smoke and I approached the Director of Security, optimistic of a story at last. But when it was pointed out that there was flagrant illegal drug use taking place everywhere, he resisted any cajoling to take action, opting instead to turn a blind eye. Lots of blind eyes, in fact. It was probably a wise decision, although it didn't help my storyline any. It's interesting to speculate on how it would have been handled had the ringleader not been a celebrity, but as it was, in this instance everyone was lighting up and no one seemed to care.
For a well-known Huntington Press author's take on the whole subject of marijuana, check out Michael Konik's new title, Reefer Gladness: Stories, Essays, and Riffs on Marijuana. Konik abstained from using, or even trying, marijuana until he was nearly 40 but, following an epiphany in Amsterdam, has now become a powerful advocate for the power and good of herb.
