The planned July 1st rollout of early recreational marijuana sales in Nevada may now be delayed due to a complaint filed by alcohol distributors in the state. This week, a district court judge signed a temporary restraining order prohibiting the state Department of Taxation from enforcing the May 31st deadline for marijuana retail license applications.
The court order was issued following a complaint by the Independent Alcohol Distributors of Nevada, who argued that the ballot measure that legalized cannabis last fall gave liquor wholesalers exclusive rights to marijuana sales licenses for the first 18 months of sales. “The statute clearly gives a priority and exclusive license to alcohol distributors, in order to promote the goal of regulating marijuana similar to alcohol,” the judge said in his ruling.
Sam McMullen, the attorney representing the alcohol industry, said that although the court order will likely delay the rollout of rec sales, it is not the intention of the complaint. “We just want our rightful place,” he said. “We don’t want to slow this down inordinately.”
However, officials from the state tax department have said that alcohol…