
A paradise that has few smokers but still wins
Paradise Valley, Nev.
— When it comes to smoking, there’s only one place that’s more fun than a smoke shop: a smoking paradise.
The residents of Paradise Valley have been puffing away for years.
“It’s my home.
It’s my place to be,” said Jennifer Ollivier, a resident of Paradise Village, which sits in a valley north of Las Vegas.
Ollibers mother died of lung cancer last year.
“If I don’t smoke, I’m not doing myself any good.
If I smoke, it’s just like any other place.”
Ollivals friends are also puffing, though not for the same reasons.
They’re mostly smokers who come for a smoke in a nearby town.
They have their own smoke shops, some with a mix of vendors selling a variety of products, including weed and other edibles.
OLLIVIER: Smoke shop is where you go to get the best deal on your next purchase.
“There’s a reason people come to Paradise,” said Olliviste, who has two children.
“Because they love the atmosphere.”
Paradise Valley is just a short drive from Las Vegas, where more than 5,000 people are expected to attend the state’s annual pot convention.
It is the only town in the state with a smoking ban, and its residents are allowed to buy up to an ounce of marijuana per day.
The smoking ban has been enforced for more than a decade.
OLEILLIKI: People in the town have always had the right to smoke, even if it’s not allowed in the city, but they don’t do it.
And they’ve been able to enjoy it in a more peaceful and relaxed environment, he said.
OOLIVIER AND OLLIS: People are coming to the city to shop, but the city is not welcoming them.
“They don’t understand why they’re coming to Paradise Valley,” said the town’s police chief, Lt.
Kevin Jarrell.
“You have to be there to have fun, you have to have a good time, and you have the right.
And you have a right to do it.”
Paradise Village’s atmosphere is just one reason people have decided to live in a community where marijuana is not allowed.
The town has a smoking ordinance that requires residents to be at least 18 years old and to abide by it.
The county has a more stringent version, requiring residents to live at least two miles from their homes and not be out of the state for more the last four weeks of the year.
For now, people can legally smoke anywhere in the county, including at a bar or restaurant.
“I don’t see a reason why they couldn’t smoke here in Paradise Valley for free,” said Jarrell, who said the county has allowed smoking throughout the year since the county became part of the county in 2005.
The ban has not prevented people from gathering to smoke.
In the past, some have found smoking places to be a place to get high and to share marijuana, Olliver said.
“Everybody in the village is there to share,” she said.
The village is also home to an annual event known as the Paradise Parade, where people from around the state gather to smoke pot, smoke cigars, eat and dance.
Jarrell said the parade is meant to give people a sense of community and that it’s a great way to get out and enjoy the atmosphere.
“The parade is the way we do things here, to share and share,” he said, “and that’s what we need.”
The village was created in 1994 by the town of Paradise to create a place where people can gather and relax.
It has since grown to more than 6,000 residents.