Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez ruled Sept. 3 that Nevada can proceed with its cannabis licensing process after a two-year battle between the state and companies that were denied dispensary licenses in December 2018, the Las Vegas Sun reported.
The decision will allow some new retailers to open and some applications to be reviewed again by state officials, but some companies will still be denied licenses, the news outlet reported.
Gonzalez expects her decision to be appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
The licensing process began in September 2018, when 462 businesses applied for 64 new dispensary licenses. Sixty-one licenses were awarded in December, based on local zoning regulations, bringing the total number of adult-use cannabis retailers statewide to 125, the news outlet reported.
Gonzalez’s ruling does not order a do-over of this licensing process, and winning applicants with plans to reopen their dispensaries are allowed to do so pending background checks on their executive officers, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
