Nevada Enters 2024 with New Weed Limit
Several changes in the Nevada cannabis law activated with the start of the New Year. One of them is how much weed you can have on your person. The new measures were reviewed among lawmakers during last year, and signed into law by Nevada’s governor, Joe Lombardo, in the month of June.
Nevada now allows more of how much you can legally possess weed on your person. That’s a good start to the New Year.
The new legislation increases the possession and purchase limits for recreational cannabis in Nevada, from one ounce to 2.5 ounces. The measure also increases the limits for marijuana concentrates from one-eighth of an ounce to a quarter ounce.
Portions of Senate Bill 277 went into effect as soon as the legislation was passed last June. The increase in the weed limit possession was the last bit of the new law, going effective on January 1.
What Else Is New in Nevada’s Cannabis Legislation?
Nevada’s upgraded cannabis legislation now also permits all recreational weed shops in the state to sell marijuana products to medical patients. This will prepare the ground for next year, when state cannabis regulators are expected to stop issuing licenses for medical marijuana businesses. The only exception from the new rule would be those jurisdictions in Nevada that do not permit recreational cannabis retail.
At the same time, Senate Bill 277, also allows medical dispensaries to serve recreational cannabis customers, and this is perhaps the most significant part of the new legislation, according to Senator Dallas Harris.
“That’s one of the big changes, (but) I think there are a bunch of things in the bill that are really designed to be business-friendly and moving our cannabis industry into the next phase,” Harris, who sponsored the bill, told Las Vegas Sun back in the summer.
Lawmakers viewed the separation of medical and recreational cannabis licenses as necessary when adult-use legalization started, Harris said. But now that the market is established, it only makes sense to eliminate some of the excessive bureaucracy in Nevada’s cannabis regulation, he commented.
“It made sense when we originally set up our structure so that we had separate licenses because we had medical first, then we had adult use. But now given the industry is up on its feet, I think it just makes sense to streamline that process,” the governor said.
Another provision from Senate Bill 277 is an ease on the ban for individuals with felony convictions from participating in the state cannabis sector. They can now be granted licenses for work given that the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board determines that granting the person a permit to be part of the sector would not cause any harm to public health or safety.
In addition, the new legislation stipulates that those with prior felony convictions will be permitted to petition the Nevada Cannabis Control Board to obtain an agent card that allows them to work at a licensed cannabis business without first having their records sealed.
The reformed law further tasks the state Cannabis Advisory Commission to carry out a study and determine the potential effect that ending the federal cannabis prohibition and removing marijuana from the state’s Uniform Controlled Substances Act could have on the regulated cannabis sector.
The legislation also requires state regulators to consider whether Nevada’s updated cannabis law might have any adverse effects on the environment, and if there are any, what protection measures can be implemented to reduce and eliminate those effects.
Nevada launched its legal adult-use market on January 1, 2017. The market grew by 30 percent between 2018 and 2021. Sales reached a peak in 2021 by going above $1 billion. It’s estimated that sales in 2023 have dropped by 15 percent since 2021. The Silver State is leveling up its game also with the introduction of cannabis lounges where you can enjoy a smoke or other pot product at the same premises where making the purchase.
Also read on Soft Secrets:
- Nevada Completes Licensing for Cannabis Lounges
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Stephen Andrews
