Nevada - Area Code 775

As the first Nevada State Director for the Marijuana Policy Project, I am often asked about the challenges Nevada faces when it comes to regulating medical marijuana in compliance with the new state law. The short answer is that Nevada has many challenges to face in its effort to implement its new medical marijuana law, but it's not all negative. There are areas in which Nevada does well and where marijuana regulations are lacking. Here are the three areas where Nevada does well in regulating medical marijuana and where it can do a lot better.

The medical marijuana industry in Nevada is well regulated. Nevada is in the black zone for medical marijuana cases, meaning that more than 100 new medical marijuana cases were reported per 100,000 residents last week, the black zone for testing positive and indicating an unusually high case rate. Clark County, Washoe County and Elko County, NV each had the most reported new medical marijuana cases last week, according to the Nevada Health Department.

As for the gray zone, the state health department did not provide statistics on how many Nevada residents are prosecuted for marijuana possession, but it indicated that Nevada's courts were still reviewing cases related to the medical marijuana industry. The state's Attorney General's office has indicated that they will be reviewing all pending cases. If the Attorney General decides to prosecute any of the marijuana cases filed, the numbers in Nevada will likely go up.

Medical marijuana dispensaries in Nevada face two big challenges. Nevada's strict "good-neighbor" law does not allow cities and counties to ban or regulate medical marijuana sales within city limits. This means that cities and counties cannot restrict a medical marijuana shop from being located within their city limits, nor can they prevent their customers from visiting a store within the city. For cities and counties to have any power over how the sale of marijuana takes place, they would need to pass a zoning ordinance that prohibits the sale of marijuana. Additionally, the state does not allow the regulation of medical marijuana sales within cities and counties, so cities and counties cannot control how patients obtain and use marijuana.

Unfortunately, Nevada's city ordinances have limited the power of local governments by banning local governments from banning the distribution of marijuana. Therefore, while cities and counties may be able to regulate the sale of marijuana, they can't regulate who can use or where it can be sold.

Overall, Nevada's marijuana laws and regulations appear relatively balanced, particularly compared to other states with more liberal marijuana laws such as California, where California has six cities and counties that have total marijuana banishment. Despite the current challenges, Nevada appears to be moving forward with implementing their new laws, so the future of Nevada's marijuana industry looks promising.