The Assembly Judiciary Committee today approved Assembly Bill 203, legislation that would significantly reshape Nevada’s cannabis laws by broadening access for social equity operators, easing delivery and packaging rules, and revising licensing and tax provisions.
Filed by Assemblymember Max Carter (D), AB 203 creates a Social Equity Liaison within the Cannabis Compliance Board and allows individuals harmed by past marijuana criminalization to partner with licensed cannabis facilities through joint-venture agreements. These partnerships would enable the operation of cannabis-related businesses without a state-issued license, provided they’re approved by the Board and hosted on the premises of a licensed cultivation or production facility.
The bill also loosens delivery restrictions by allowing cannabis to be delivered to private residences and other locations not near schools or casinos. Vehicles used for deliveries would no longer need prior inspection from the Board.
Under AB 203, non-infused pre-rolls could be legally produced and sold by cannabis production facilities. Packaging rules for wholesale products would be reduced, requiring only labels needed for seed-to-sale tracking systems. Additionally, retail facilities would no longer be required to maintain visitor logs, and sales transaction records would only need to be retained for three years.
The legislation exempts joint-venture cannabis businesses from excise taxes and authorizes the Department of Taxation to fine unlicensed sellers an amount equal to what the tax would have been. It also clarifies that entering into a joint-venture agreement does not by itself justify search or inspection.
The bill includes new legal protections for those participating in joint-venture operations and updates the definition of “usable cannabis” to exclude seeds. It also exempts retail employees from occupational safety training requirements and calls for a joint report from the Cannabis Compliance Board and the Nevada Gaming Control Board on cannabis and gaming by the end of 2026.
AB 203 now moves to the full Assembly for consideration.
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