Marijuana
It’s time for Biden to keep his promises on marijuana
Politicians are no strangers to making campaign promises. Delivering on those promises? Well, that’s often another story. Such is the case thus far with President Biden’s campaign pledge to reform America’s archaic and unpopular marijuana prohibition laws. “No one should be in jail because of marijuana,” Biden insisted on the campaign trail. “As president, I will decriminalize cannabis […]
ACLU of NV legal effort to remove weed from Schedule 1 survives challenge
A legal effort by the ACLU of Nevada to force the Nevada Board of Pharmacy to remove cannabis from its Schedule 1 of controlled substances will proceed, Clark County Judge Joe Hardy ruled Wednesday when he denied the board’s motion to dismiss the ACLU’s lawsuit. ACLUNV says individuals are still being arrested for cannabis possession […]
It’s high time Nevada ends the loophole that leads to criminal prosecutions for cannabis
U.S. attitudes toward cannabis have begun to change as more states have decriminalized or legalized cannabis medically and recreationally. Here in Nevada, cannabis has become a lucrative and profitable commodity for dispensaries and wholesalers, but prosecutors and police continue to treat cannabis like heroin and methamphetamine rather than respecting the voice of Nevada voters. Voters […]
U.S. House votes to decriminalize marijuana in federal law; fate uncertain in Senate
The U.S. House passed legislation Friday to legalize marijuana nationally, but its future is much less clear in the Senate. The House voted 220-204 to approve the measure, which would fix the split between federal law and 19 states where recreational marijuana is legal. Three Republicans joined all but two Democrats in approving the measure. Matt Gaetz and […]
House advances marijuana banking bill, though final passage uncertain
WASHINGTON — Cannabis dispensaries throughout the country came one step closer to using banks the way many other businesses can when the U.S. House last week cleared a bill with sweeping changes to banking regulations. Colorado Democrat Ed Perlmutter and Ohio Republican Dave Joyce, co-sponsors of the legislation, said Friday their proposal would allow medical […]
Federal law still treats marijuana as an illegal drug, creating headaches for states
Most states in the U.S. are in violation of a major federal drug statute. The 1971 Controlled Substances Act lists marijuana in the most dangerous category defined in the law, on par with cocaine and heroin because of its supposed potential for abuse and lack of medical applications. But 36 states plus the District of […]
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 […]