Marijuana
Nevada regulators give would-be cannabis dispensaries time to wait out local moratoriums
A handful of cannabis dispensaries that face deadlines to exercise their licenses by February 2022, but have been unable to open because of moratoriums imposed by local governments, will have an extra year to wait out the political climate. The Cannabis Compliance Board voted unanimously Tuesday to extend final inspections for Essence Henderson, LLC. Essence […]
It is time for federal legalization of cannabis
With gridlock at the federal level, states have truly become the laboratories of democracy—often leading on legislative policy when Congress is unable. When it comes to cannabis, these laboratories of democracy operate at breakneck speed, with 18 U.S. states legalizing it for both medical and adult “recreational” use and at least some legal use in […]
Laxalt takes stand, denies role in cannabis licensing scheme
Republican U.S. Senate candidate and former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt testified Friday he doesn’t remember if he told the FBI he had dinner with Lev Parnas, Rudy Giuliani’s former colleague and a defendant in a federal corruption case in the Southern District of New York. Parnas is charged with making illegal campaign contributions. Laxalt, […]
Proposed cannabis program designed to help BIPOC applicants entering the industry
Nevada’s cannabis rush following the legalization of recreational and medical marijuana saw the rise of another multibillion dollar industry that is predominantly owned and managed by white men. To start rectifying some of the inequities, A’esha Goins, owner of Black Joy Consultants, is proposing a Pathway to Ownership program designed to connect those traditionally left […]
By this time next year, you could be getting high in a pot lounge
Nevada expects its first cannabis consumption lounges — and a wide array of weed-adjacent businesses — to open in “the first half” of 2022. When that happens, it will end a cannabis catch-22 that has existed since Nevada voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2016. Purchasing marijuana is legal in the state but consumption is currently […]
Chuck Schumer: Congress should legalize weed on the federal level
WASHINGTON — The top Democrat in the U.S. Senate says decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level is a change that’s “long overdue,” and that he’s prioritizing that effort amid a growing number of states legalizing cannabis. To that end, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday unveiled a draft proposal for removing cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances […]
Police, prosecutors oppose reform of weed driving laws
The Nevada law that prohibits trace amounts of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, in the blood of drivers is not based on science, results in the conviction of drivers who were not impaired, and fails to identify some who are, according to Assemblyman Steve Yeager. Yeager is the sponsor of Assembly Bill 400, a […]
Segerblom: Weed infighting threatens vision of cannabis mecca
As the Nevada Legislature debates a variety of cannabis-related measures, dissension among dispensary owners could impede efforts to take Nevada’s fledgling weed industry to the next level, says Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom. The exodus of nine dispensaries from the Nevada Dispensary Association has “huge implications” according to Segerblom, who is frustrated owners are “fighting […]
With 4/20 around the corner, Las Vegas honored as weed mecca
Las Vegas is the tenth best place in America to get stoned, according to LawnStarter, a service that presumably grows real grass and appears to have no link to the smokable variety. Denver, the Mile High City, copped first place with a score of 70.85 out of 100 possible points. It ranked first in ‘social […]
How much weed do we need?
A measure that could add dozens of cannabis dispensaries to Nevada’s population centers was widely panned by competitors who say the move would flood the market, stymie ownership by women and minorities, and thwart efforts to address “social equity applicants” — those harmed by the criminalization of marijuana and excluded from positions within the industry. […]
Weed store owners at odds over bill that would shut out new licensees
A measure before lawmakers would scrap Nevada’s merit-based cannabis licensing system in favor of a scheme that allows current licensees to expand and saturate the market, while effectively locking out new applicants, according to the Nevada Dispensary Association, which represents the state’s marijuana sellers. Senate Bill 235 would allow dispensaries to convert their medical […]
Legislation aims to end racial disparities in youth possession of weed
Nevadans voted in 2016 to “Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol,” but experts say when it comes to young people and law enforcement, a wide disparity remains. A bill before lawmakers aims to narrow the gap. “Typically youth in possession of alcohol are reprimanded but not detained,” Dr. Carmen Jones, a pediatrician, testified before lawmakers Wednesday. “I […]