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BYOC Rules by State

“Bring Your Own Cannabis” looks deceptively simple. The details — where you can buy it, how you carry it in, whether the venue can also sell to you — change dramatically from state to state. Here is how BYOC actually works in each of the five states currently running licensed lounges.

Last verified: April 2026

What BYOC Means (And Doesn’t)

BYOC is short for Bring Your Own Cannabis. In a BYOC lounge, you arrive with product you purchased earlier at a licensed dispensary and consume it on-site. Staff provide the space, the accessories, and often food and drink — but not the cannabis itself. This is different from a “hospitality & sales” lounge, where the venue is itself licensed to sell cannabis for on-site use.

BYOC rules exist because many state lawmakers wanted to legalize on-site consumption without creating an entirely new retail license category. BYOC threads the needle: licensed retail handles the sale, a separate licensed venue handles the consumption.

Michigan — The BYOC Capital

Michigan is the clearest BYOC model in the country. State-licensed “designated consumption establishments” do not sell cannabis on-site. Guests bring their own product, purchased from any Michigan-licensed recreational retailer, and consume it inside the lounge. Staff cannot hand you a pre-roll or a gummy, but they can provide glass, papers, vaporizers for rent, and a comfortable place to use what you brought.

Possession limits still apply. You cannot walk into a Michigan lounge with more than the state’s personal possession limit (2.5 ounces of flower or 15 grams of concentrate) on your person. Many lounges in Detroit, Hamtramck, and Kalamazoo now partner with nearby dispensaries so guests can buy right next door.

What Not To Do In Michigan

  • Do not attempt to share product with another patron as a “sale.” Even informal cash exchanges violate state law.
  • Do not bring product purchased out of state. Federal interstate trafficking law still applies.
  • Do not re-pocket product and take it back out mid-session. Most lounges require product stay inside until you leave for the night.

Colorado — Two License Types

Colorado runs two separate consumption licenses under its HB 19-1230 framework:

  • Marijuana Hospitality Business (BYOC only): Guests bring product purchased elsewhere. The venue cannot sell cannabis.
  • Retail Marijuana Hospitality & Sales Business: The venue sells cannabis for on-site consumption only. Product cannot leave sealed or unsealed.

Both license types are tightly capped by Colorado’s local opt-in rules. Denver, which created the original Initiative 300 framework in 2016, has almost no active lounges; Colorado Springs prohibits them entirely. See our Colorado lounge guide for the local context.

Illinois — Dispensary-Adjacent and Standalone

Illinois allows both dispensary-adjacent consumption (a licensed lounge attached to or directly connected with a retail dispensary) and standalone BYOC lounges. The dispensary-adjacent model is functionally a hospitality & sales venue: you buy product inside the dispensary and walk through a sealed door into the consumption area. Standalone lounges operate BYOC-only.

Illinois tightly regulates ventilation, and several Illinois municipalities (Chicago included) have their own on-site consumption ordinances stacked on top of state law. Always check the municipality before you assume “legal in Illinois” means “legal in this specific city.”

Maryland — Updated April 2025

Maryland launched its consumption program in 2024 with strict BYOC-only rules. In April 2025 the state updated its regulations to allow on-site lounges to serve single-serving edibles alongside the BYOC model. This was the first meaningful expansion of any state’s BYOC program: guests can now arrive with their own flower for a joint, then order a 10mg cookie from the venue.

Edible sales at Maryland lounges are capped at one serving per transaction and require a full retail-style ID check. If you are traveling through Baltimore or the Maryland suburbs of D.C., expect the newest lounges to follow this hybrid model.

Nevada — No Outside Cannabis

Nevada is the reverse of Michigan. The state’s consumption lounge law explicitly prohibits outside cannabis. Whatever you consume at a Nevada lounge must be purchased from that lounge’s licensed retail operation at the time of your visit. Nevada’s 50mg THC session cap and mandatory rideshare program are detailed in our Nevada lounge guide.

Tribal venues on Paiute sovereign land (Sky High at NuWu) operate outside state BYOC rules entirely, governed by tribal regulation. Those rules differ, and the venue’s staff will walk you through them on arrival.

Call ahead, every time

BYOC rules are the part of lounge regulation that changes most often. A venue that was hospitality-and-sales in January can become BYOC-only in June after a local license renewal. Call or check the venue’s website the same week of your visit.

The Universal BYOC Rules

Regardless of state, these hold everywhere:

  • Product must have been purchased at a state-licensed dispensary. Homegrown or out-of-state product is not permitted inside a licensed lounge, ever.
  • Receipts and original packaging are your friend. Some lounges spot-check.
  • Sharing between patrons is universally discouraged or prohibited; lounges consider it a grey-area “sale” that puts their license at risk.
  • Products cannot leave the venue unsealed. Plan your visit on the assumption that whatever you open, you finish or throw away.

For a fuller primer on session pacing inside these venues, see our lounge etiquette overview.

For in-depth cannabis education, dosing guides, safety information, and research summaries, visit our partner site TryCannabis.org