Through a random selection process using software, the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board awarded 20 entities with "prospective" independent consumption lounge licenses, including 10 "social equity" applicants, out of a pool of 80 submitters.

For the last seven years, GLP has used natural farming techniques to keep its harvests pesticide-and-radiation-free and its farm sustainable with limited water use and waste. But a routine inspection by state regulators led to a year of farming corrections.

Nevadans have been able to purchase medical marijuana from dispensaries since 2000, but attorneys in the case said the pharmacy board “forcibly” continued listing cannabis in a manner similar to illicit substances, such as heroin and methamphetamine.

Despite a slight year-to-year dip, Nevada’s legal cannabis industry still reported nearly $1 billion in taxable sales over the last fiscal year, with a sizable chunk transferred to the state’s education budget.

Advocates asked that injunctive relief include the pharmacy board removing cannabis from the controlled substance list, removing the Schedule 1 designation and declaring that the board’s authority over the regulation of cannabis no longer exists in Nevada law.

Data from as far back as October 2021 — when sales prices were higher than now — are influencing the tax rate almost a year later, forcing cultivators to pay effective tax rates that can be double what the Legislature intended.

Cannabis advocates have pointed to a disconnect between marijuana now being legal and yet people are locked out of housing and job opportunities because of past cannabis-related convictions.

“Why are fees being billed for routine staff activities … when the regulator's already been fully funded because the Legislature made it a priority starting in 2017?” Martin said.

“With this petition, I'm hoping that we can work together to legitimize the cannabis activity that’s been a staple of live events ever since Woodstock,” said Anderson, president of Sala Consulting.

Visitors may soon have a new reason to stop in Tonopah — Stash Fine Cannabis Company plans to bring a “farmer’s market” experience to customers in the town of 2,100, providing cannabis products.

It would also represent the first major expansion of Nevada’s cannabis industry in years, and stands to expand a largely homogenous industry to include people adversely affected by the so-called war on drugs.

Even with the COVID pandemic waning, state tax officials told legislators this month that Nevadans have made what appear to be some permanent shifts in how they buy legal marijuana through pick-up and delivery modes.

Klimas said he expects the start of a new licensing process for cannabis consumption lounges later this year will help diversify the industry.

Cannabis consumption lounges are on track to set up shop in Nevada by mid-2022 and shake up the state’s marijuana industry after the Interim Finance Committee greenlit new funding on Wednesday.

New changes from the Nevada Athletic Commission on anti-doping policy mean athletes won't be banned from competition for marijuana possession or use.

Lawmakers took a major step this session to expand and diversify the industry’s disproportionately white and male ownership and also provide tourists with a place to legally consume marijuana by creating a new license type for cannabis consumption lounges.

The study proposes examining the available funding sources for research on the plant and reviewing current trends in the hemp industry along with researching innovative methods and legislation to spur industry growth. It would also focus on programs designed to promote economic development in coordination with hemp cultivation businesses and the production and sale of hemp products.

“Many of those are interested in trying cannabis, but there's nowhere they can legally do so. They can't bring it into their hotel rooms. They can't consume outside. As a result, many of them end up breaking the law.”

Proponents commissioned an analysis from RGC Economics that projected the state could support up to 1,283 additional dispensaries. Nevada’s marijuana market grossed nearly $700 million last fiscal year and is on track to break that record this fiscal year.

“These arbitrary limits were enacted at a time when Nevada imposed blanket prohibition on the possession and use of cannabis for any purpose. This is not the case any longer. Hasn't been for some time.”