Indopedia All Things Marijuana
Nevada was expected to launch early recreational marijuana sales at the beginning of next month, but it appears some snags brought on by the alcohol industry could cause delays.
On Tuesday, a Carson City judge handed down a verdict that prevents the state from issuing commercial marijuana licenses to any business other than those engaged in the sale of liquor. The ruling, which technically puts the fate of legal marijuana in the hands of only a few alcohol distributors, could easily prevent recreational marijuana from being sold starting on July 1.
When Nevada voters approved an initiative last year aimed at legalizing marijuana for recreational use, they gave the state’s alcohol distributors exclusive rights to the market for the first year and a half. However, state officials say that most of these companies had expressed little to no interest in getting involved with legal marijuana.
In fact, it wasn’t until am “early start” program was signed into law by Governor Brian Sandoval, giving select medical marijuana dispensaries the ability to sell recreational marijuana starting on July 1, that the Independent Alcohol Distributors of Nevada started raising hell…
