Nevada Officials Now Accepting Applications for Early Retail Marijuana Sales, to Begin July 1st
The Nevada Department of Taxation has officially began accepting applications for businesses wanting to grow and sale marijuana for recreational purposes.
The department expects legal recreational marijuana sales to begin in a month and a half, on July 1st. The licenses will be distributed to currently operating medical marijuana dispensaries which are hoping to begin selling cannabis to everyone 21 and older, not just registered patients; liquor wholesalers will also be able to apply for a temporary distribution license. The application period ends on May 31st.
The application period is possible due to the department approving early marijuana sales. Under an initiative approved by voters last year, licensed recreational cannabis retail outlets are legal, but they aren’t expected to be until sometime next year. The rules approved by the department allows certain licensed dispensaries to sell recreational cannabis until these outlets are up and running. Oregon took a similar approach after they legalized cannabis, allowing dispensaries a small window to sell to all adults, not just patients; once retail outlets opened, dispensaries were no longer able to sell to non-patients.
Permanent regulations for the recreational cannabis industry are currently being formulated by the Department of Taxation, with permanent licenses expected to be issued on January 1st.