Citizen-initiated ballot measure would end marijuana prohibition in Nevada and establish a legal marijuana market for adults 21 and older
[Press Release] CARSON CITY – The Nevada Legislature is expected to let voters decide whether to end marijuana prohibition and regulate marijuana like alcohol in November 2016.
State lawmakers have until Saturday to enact Initiative Petition No. 1, but chose to adjourn Friday without voting on it. They were tasked with considering the measure after supporters submitted nearly twice the number of signatures needed to qualify for the ballot.
“Voters will have the opportunity to end marijuana prohibition next year and replace it with a policy that actually makes sense,” said Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project. “Regulating marijuana like alcohol will make Nevada safer by replacing the underground marijuana market with a tightly controlled system of licensed businesses. Law enforcement officials will be able to spend their time addressing more serious crimes, and adults will no longer be punished simply for using marijuana.”
The initiative makes private possession of up to one ounce of marijuana legal for adults 21 years of age and older. It will remain illegal to use marijuana in public or drive while impaired by marijuana. The Nevada Department of Taxation will be responsible for regulating and licensing marijuana retail stores, cultivation facilities, manufacturing facilities, testing facilities, and distributors. Local governments will be able to control where they are located. A 15% excise tax will be applied to wholesale marijuana sales (such as those from a cultivation facility to a retail store), and retail sales will be subject to general state and local sales taxes. All revenue from the 15% excise tax will be deposited in the Distributive School Account, which funds K-12 education in Nevada.
“The initiative will create a significant new source of funding for Nevada schools,” Tvert said. “Marijuana sales that are currently taking place in the underground market are generating revenue for cartels. In a regulated market, marijuana sales will generate revenue for students.”
Voters in four states have adopted laws that regulate and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol. Two of them, Colorado and Washington, have established regulated systems of marijuana cultivation and sales. Alaska and Oregon are in the process of implementing similar systems.Â
Source: The Marijuana Policy Project, the nation’s largest marijuana policy organization, has been responsible for changing most state-level marijuana laws since 2000. For more information, visit http://www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.
