Nevada legislation signed into law earlier this year will drastically increase the possession limit for legal marijuana and marijuana concentrates once it takes effect in just four days.
Senate Bill 277 was signed into law in June after passing the Assembly 28 to 14, and the Senate 14 to 6. The new law, which officially takes effect on January 1, increases the possession limit for dried marijuana from one ounce, to two and a half ounces. It also doubles the limit for concentrates from one-eight of an ounce to one-fourth of an ounce.
In addition, the law allows dispensaries to obtain dual licenses to sell to both medical patients and recreational consumers.
Section 3, 5 and 6 of the new law prohibits “the Board from issuing or renewing a medical cannabis establishment license on or after January 1, 2024, unless the medical cannabis establishment is located in a local governmental jurisdiction that is a “covered jurisdiction,” which section 3 defines to mean a local governmental jurisdiction that has adopted local cannabis control measures which prohibit the operation of adult-use cannabis establishments.”
The measure then “sets forth a similar process to allow a person who holds a medical cannabis establishment license for a medical cannabis establishment that is located in a covered jurisdiction to apply for and be issued an adult-use cannabis establishment license of the same type if the local governmental jurisdiction in which the establishment is located ceases to be a covered jurisdiction.”
SB 277 also:
- Eliminates provisions which prohibit the Board from issuing a cannabis establishment agent registration card to a person who has been convicted of an excluded felony offense.
- Eliminates provisions which make having committed or committing an excluded felony offense grounds for the immediate revocation of a cannabis establishment agent registration card.
For the full text of Senate Bill 277, click here.
According to the Nevada Department of Taxation, there was exactly $68,562,873 in legal marijuana sold in September. Total sales for the fiscal year so far (starting July 1) is $209,681,401.