June 21, 2017 The Skanner Page 9
News
Uncertainty as Nevada Aims to Launch Recreational Pot Soon
Offi cials still scrambling to put rules in place by July 1, when law becomes eff ective
By SCOTT SONNER
Associated Press
RENO, Nev.— Nevada
voters legalized recre-
ational marijuana in
November, and offi cials
are trying to put rules in
place to start selling it on
July 1.
It would be the shortest
turnaround from legal-
ization to the launch of
sales in any of the other
seven states and District
of Columbia where recre-
ational pot is legal. Reg-
ulations are complicated
and typically lengthy to
enact around a drug still
banned by the U.S. gov-
ernment.
But Nevada’s quick
timeline faces a major
hurdle: A legal battle be-
tween the state and the
“
dollars in tax revenue
devoted to education.
Pot sales are required to
start by Jan. 1, 2018, and
are expected to bring in
at least $120 million over
two years.
The Nevada Cannabis
Coalition estimates an
additional $3 million a
month if sales start in
a little more than two
weeks. Oregon and Col-
orado each raised about
$3.5 million in tax reve-
nue in the fi rst month of
their recreational sales.
Nevada’s expedited ef-
fort is in stark contrast
to its handling of medical
marijuana, which went
on sale in 2015 — 15 years
aft er voters legalized it.
WILL RECREATIONAL
POT BE SOLD JULY 1?
It’s not clear. The state
homes. But the courts de-
cide what happens next.
WHY ARE THE
COURTS INVOLVED?
A group of alcohol dis-
tributors and state-regu-
lated medical marijuana
dealers are fi ghting over
who should be licensed
to distribute marijuana
from growers to retail-
ers. The liquor lobby
sued, saying the state
didn’t give it the fi rst shot
at distribution licenses
as the law calls for, the
only legal pot state with
that arrangement.
The state Department
of Taxation wants to
license some existing
medical marijuana cul-
tivators and retailers
to serve as their own
distributors temporari-
ly, saying there was not
enough interest
among
alcohol
distributors to do
the work. The li-
quor distributors
denied that, and
a judge tempo-
rarily sided with
them and blocked
licenses from be-
ing issued.
The judge this week re-
fused Nevada’s request to
dismiss the lawsuit and
left the order in place un-
til he makes a permanent
ruling following a hear-
ing Monday.
Like Nevada, Colorado and Ore-
gon initially granted recreation-
al retail licenses only to existing
medical marijuana businesses
but now provides them to any
qualifying applicant
powerful liquor lobby
over who can distribute
the drug to retailers.
Here’s a look at the ob-
stacles to recreational
pot in Nevada and what
could happen next:
WHAT’S THE RUSH?
Anticipating customer
demand, the state hopes
to get a head-start on
collecting millions of
said it intends to issue li-
censes so users can start
buying marijuana buds,
concentrate and edibles
at as many as 60 existing
medical marijuana dis-
pensaries on that date.
When sales happen,
anyone 21 or older can
buy up to an ounce of
pot but can only smoke
or consume it in their
Trademark cont’d from pg 7
past that it “represents
honor,
respect
and
pride” for Native Amer-
icans. Snyder issued a
quick statement aft er
Monday’s decision: “I am
THRILLED. Hail to the
Redskins.”
Redskins attorney Lisa
Blatt said the court’s deci-
sion eff ectively resolves
the Redskins’ longstand-
ing dispute with the gov-
ernment.
“The Supreme Court
vindicated the team’s
position that the First
Amendment blocks the
government from deny-
ing or cancelling a trade-
mark registration based
on the government’s
opinion,” Blatt said.
Trademark
offi ce
spokesman Paul Fucito
said offi cials are review-
ing the court’s ruling and
planned to issue further
guidance on how they
will review trademark
applications.
Indian groups oppos-
ing the Redskins said the
ruling does not change
the fact that the name “is
a dictionary-defi ned ra-
cial slur.”
“If the NFL wants to
live up to its statements
about placing impor-
tance on equality, then
it shouldn’t hide behind
these rulings, but should
act to the end this hateful
and degrading slur,” said
a joint statement from
the National Congress of
American Indians and
the group Change the
Mascot.
The ruling means of-
fensive trademarks can
no longer be denied, even
for names that intend
to disparage individu-
als or groups of people,
said Megan Carpenter,
dean at the University of
New Hampshire School
of Law and an expert on
trademark law.
While the justices all
agreed on the outcome,
they split in their ratio-
nale.
Alito rejected argu-
ments that the govern-
ment has an interest in
preventing speech that
is off ensive to certain
groups.
Read the rest of this story at
TheSkanner.com
WHY IS THE LIQUOR
INDUSTRY GETTING
INTO MARIJUANA?
The law says “marijua-
na should be regulated in
a manner similar to alco-
hol.” The political action
In this March 24, 2017 fi le photo, Nevada state Sen. Don Gustavson, R-Sparks, smells a sample of marijuana
as Christopher Price, a ‘’budtender’’ at the Blum medical marijuana dispensary, describes the operation
during a brief tour a the store in Reno, Nev. Nevada voters legalized recreational marijuana in November,
and offi cials are trying to put rules in place to start selling it on July 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner, File)
committee
promoting
the measure was even
named Regulate Mari-
juana Like Alcohol.
Pot rules are patterned
aft er the system regulat-
ing alcohol sales, with
separate licenses for
wholesalers,
distribu-
tors and retailers. Grant-
ing licensed liquor dis-
tributors fi rst dibs at pot
distribution licenses was
seen by the state as a way
to ensure the integrity of
the system because they
have already undergone
extensive background
checks and established a
record of doing business
with the state.
HOW DOES IT WORK
IN OTHER STATES?
Like Nevada, Colora-
do and Oregon initially
granted recreational re-
tail licenses only to ex-
isting medical marijuana
businesses but now pro-
vides them to any quali-
fying applicant.
Maine and Massachu-
setts give existing medi-
cal marijuana facilities a
priority for recreational
licensing. Colorado bars
people from holding both
alcohol and marijuana li-
censes.
Washington
state
didn’t have a medical
program before legaliz-
ing recreational mari-
juana and now requires
all pot business to be li-
censed by its state Liquor
Control Board.
WHAT’S NEXT?
If Carson City District
Judge James Wilson
rules against the liquor
distributors,
licenses
will be issued to exist-
ing medical marijuana
facilities to transport
products to retail stores
in time for sales to begin
July 1.
Otherwise, it’s com-
plicated. Wilson could
order the state to exclu-
sively license liquor dis-
tributors, but that could
still mean at least some
sales starting in two
weeks.
He also could strike
down the regulation it-
self. That would restart
the whole rule-making
process, which could
take months. There’s also
the possibility the loser
would appeal, prolong-
ing the uncertainty in-
defi nitely.
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