Maxine Fensom: Love and Cannabis in Sin City

Maxine Fensom is quite the business woman and according to Forbes, she’s the “mistress of sin.”  As founder of Las Vegas Cannabis Tours, Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings, Elevate Jayne, Maxine’s Gentlemen’s Club, Tinsel Glamour, and Las Vegas Glam Squad, she faces challenges head on.  Her energy and ambition is unmatched and I couldn’t wait to talk to her and find out where she came from and why she jumped into the Nevada cannabis industry.

STEPHANIE SHEHAN: Tell me about your background, where are you from, and what did you do prior to the cannabis industry?

MAXINE FENSOM: I was born in Brisbane, Australia, where I got my start as a professional troupe dancer before I had a bit of a rise to fame through a daily horoscope segment on the “In Melbourne Today” news program. After that, I leveraged my position as a one-time Playboy Australia “Playmate of the Month” to become sort of a pioneer in Australia’s adult industry. In 2000, I established the Australian Adult Industry Awards and then founded the national Miss Erotica and Miss Dream Girl pageants. I successfully launched Maxine’s Gentlemen’s Club in Melbourne, Australia which is still thriving and one of the most popular hot spots there to this day.

SS: What brought you to Las Vegas?

MF: Well, it’s a bit of a sad story. My long-term partner unexpectedly died, and I realized that I needed a new venture because it was just too difficult for me to continue our businesses without him.

I was given a strip club in Las Vegas, due to the success of Maxine’s Gentlemen’s club in Australia. However, there was just too much red tape and I ultimately decided that I didn’t want to jump through those hoops or risk my upstanding business reputation. Also, I believe that the men that were currently in that industry here couldn’t deal with the fact that I had more experience in the strip club and hospitality industries than them, so they kind of blocked any progress I made. 

Then, I launched Sin City Foodie Tours, but the pandemic came, and due to health and safety restrictions, that business wasn’t grabbing anyone’s attention at the time. So, as the entrepreneur I am, I knew I needed to pivot and find a new venture. I have always been an advocate for cannabis and wanted to bring the mystique behind the industry to the masses.

SS: Tell me about Las Vegas Cannabis Tours. Why and when did you start the company?  How does it work for patrons wanting to experience the tours?  

MF: I was previously exposed to the cannabis-tourism industry in another country and I thought how cool would it be to bring it here to Las Vegas, so I launched Las Vegas Cannabis Tours in the Fall of 2020. I use my tours as a way to demystify the legalized cannabis industry for my tour guests, which will hopefully contribute to the destigmatization of cannabis. 

Through Las Vegas Cannabis Tours I offer several unique industry experiences including visits to famed dispensaries, a grow house, a cannabis museum, glass blowing and more. Each tour is two and a half hours long (excluding the Get High and Fly Tour which also includes a helicopter ride over the Las Vegas Strip) and can accommodate as little as one to fifteen guests at a time. Tours are also available for large groups and private tours, in addition to fully customizable experiences. General tour prices range from $85 per person to $425 per person and can be viewed on our website.

SS: Tell me about Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings. What prompted you to start this business and what does it entail?

MF: Well, really Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings sparked from Las Vegas Cannabis Tours. A lot of my tour guests were asking where they could get married with a cannabis theme. So, I thought to myself that’s my next business venture, Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings

Plus, I believe cannabis is such a magical herb that can really help people! Through Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings I’ve been able to see first-hand the way that it has helped so many couples get through some really difficult and traumatic times and has strengthened their love. I’m actually an ordained minister and find so much joy being able to marry couples and offer them such a unique, fun way to do so! 

SS:  Cannabis themed weddings, how cool!  Since this is the month of love, do you have any specials running?

MF: We sure do!  For the month of February, we are offering a “Hugs & Nugs”  wedding package.  This limited edition package includes a Planet 13 wedding ceremony, a dozen green roses, a 6” hand-crafted green wedding cake, a $200 food and beverage credit, a cannabis leaf wedding bouquet, a cannabis leaf wedding boutonniere, a champagne toast, a 20% off discount voucher to redeem inside Planet 13 dispensary, complete with a romantic sunset helicopter ride over the Las Vegas Strip. The exclusive package is available from February 1 through 28 for $2,023 and can be booked by calling Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings directly at 310-722-7864.

SS: With the lounges opening, do you see the tours, weddings or both being actively involved?  If so, do you have anything in the works?

MF: Yes, I absolutely see both businesses being involved. The implementation of cannabis lounges will elevate both businesses drastically! Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings will be able to finally have receptions that include cannabis consumption. The entire wedding party can bond over their love of cannabis and revel in their cannabis themed wedding! Las Vegas Cannabis Tours will also be changed for the better because we will be able to have specific tour stops dedicated to consumption. 

I can’t say exactly what I have in the works yet, but I’m excited for when I am able to come out with those announcements.

SS: I can’t wait for the announcements.  Do you work exclusively with any dispensaries or brands?

MF: Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings has partnered with Planet 13, exclusively, using the mega dispensary as a wedding venue for my canna couples looking to say “I Doobie.” 

Las Vegas Cannabis Tours stops at a wide variety of popular dispensaries to give our guests the best shopping and tour experience possible.

SS: That’s awesome.  What can we expect from your companies in the future?

MF: Great things! Once consumption lounges are ingrained into the Las Vegas cannabis culture, I see my businesses elevating on a whole new level. I’ll be able to provide my guests the opportunity to not just appreciate cannabis but to also consume it.

SS: What changes would you like to see made in the industry?

MF: I would love to see the cannabis lounges built! That’s what I’m most excited about right now when it comes to the industry as a whole, but especially in Las Vegas.

And more importantly, I’d love to see more women in the cannabis industry. I’d like women to be able to shatter that glass ceiling to be in more prominent positions within the cannabis world. I’d also love to see this male-dominated industry show more respect to business women entering the industry. 

SS:  I love that.  As a woman business owner in the cannabis industry, have you experienced any unexpected hardships?

MF: Absolutely, but not much more than I had experienced in the adult entertainment industry. Both industries are dominated by males, who have tried to bully me, push me out, and tell me I’d never make it in the industry. I used this bullying to help me grow thicker skin and command the respect that I deserve as a business woman and entrepreneur. 

SS: How can readers get more info and follow you/businesses on social media?

MF: Please visit my websites at lvcannabistours.com and lasvegascannabisweddings.com. Also please add us on Instagram at @maxinefensom, @las_vegas_cannabis_weddings and @tourslasvegascannabis.