Nevada: World Leader in Cannabis

Is Nevada a world leader in cannabis? Although handicapped by a federal government with no right to criminalize cannabis, The Silver State is lightyears ahead of the competition.

They legalized medical cannabis way back in 2001. Recreational legalization came in 2016.

Last week, Nevada (Republican) Governor Joe Lombardo approved a bill that reforms the state’s cannabis laws.

The bill doubles the limit on cannabis possession and purchases. It also breaks down the state’s arbitrary segregation policy that prevented recreational dispensaries from selling to medical patients.

Senate Bill 277 is just the tip of the iceberg, however. Nevada is becoming a world leader in cannabis. European countries looking to legalize, or Canada’s Cannabis Act review process could learn a lot from the Sagebrush State.

Nevada: World Leader in Cannabis

What are some ways Nevada is becoming a world leader in cannabis?

As mentioned, Senate Bill 277 doubles possession and purchase limits. Before, Nevadans were limited to one ounce of flower and one-eight of concentrates. Residents can now purchase and possess up to 2.5 ounces of flower and a quarter-ounce of concentrates.

Bill 277 also rid Nevada of its ban on individuals with felony charges working in the cannabis industry.

Although, if you have a felony and want to start a cannabis business, the state’s licensing board can decline your application based on their definitions of “public health and safety.”

That said, Nevada’s revisions to its cannabis laws are a step in the right direction.

It’s confirmation that Nevada can be a world leader in cannabis. Whereas other states (and Canada) talk about limiting cannabis markets and imposing more restrictions – Nevada went in the opposite direction.

Nevada: World Leader in Cannabis Consumption Lounges

Many public health bureaucrats declare cannabis consumption lounges unsafe due to the potential for impaired driving (are they unaware of bars and restaurants that serve alcohol?)

Not in Nevada, a world leader in cannabis.

Nevada’s cannabis regulators gave the thumbs up to three existing dispensaries to open consumption lounges.

Lawmakers legalized consumption lounges two years ago, but these are the first three businesses to receive approvals.

Legalizing cannabis without permitting consumption lounges makes very little sense. What are you to do if you live in an apartment without a balcony or have neighbors sensitive to the smell?

There is no rational argument against cannabis consumption lounges if bars and restaurants serving alcohol are permitted to exist.

Of course, many bureaucrats would probably love to limit and even ban places that serve alcohol. You won’t find that in Nevada, however. Even during the heyday of alcohol prohibition, local authorities barely enforced the law.

Nevada: The World’s First Weed Hotel

In March 2022, Elevations Hotels and Resorts bought a $12 million property just off the Las Vegas Strip. The new owners of the 64-room non-gaming hotel installed air filters and declared itself open for cannabis smokers.

So long as guests can prove their at least 21, they can smoke anywhere on the hotel property, including in their rooms.

Some question whether this hotel is legal. They don’t sell cannabis or have a cannabis consumption licence.

The only open consumption lounge skirts the rules by situating itself on tribal land. The Lexi Hotel, on the other hand, doesn’t promote itself as a consumption lounge.

As a Nevada law firm told the local news, “I think most people would argue that hotel rooms are public places that are open for business for the public to rent those rooms.”

Ergo, no laws are being broken. Many Las Vegas casinos and hotel rooms permit smoking tobacco. And so, if cannabis is legal – what’s the difference?

Just another example of how Nevada is a world leader in cannabis.

Nevada: World Leader in Cannabis

Of course, Nevada is prevented from being a true world leader since it is a state within the Union. And the USA prohibits cannabis.

So, like other legal states, Nevada has a cannabis banking problem.

Fortunately, states are passing laws that allow cannabis companies to deduct business expenses from their state incomes. Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey and New York have been at the forefront of this.

But not Nevada. Why?

Simply because Nevada doesn’t have a corporate tax.

Nevada is a world leader in not only cannabis but personal liberty. In addition to no corporate tax, they also don’t tax income. A personal income tax is, after all, slavery with extra steps.

Unfortunately, they have an excise tax on cannabis products. But it’s only 10%. Compare that to 15% in California. Or the absurd system in Canada, where the more efficiently you produce cannabis, the higher excise taxes you pay.

It’s clear Nevada is quickly becoming the world leader in cannabis.

In many ways, Las Vegas, Nevada, is a world leader in everything. Murray Rothbard once called it the pinnacle of civilization.

And he was right. What other state in America treats its adult residents like… well, adults?