A court order could delay implementation of early recreational marijuana sales in Nevada. Reno Public Radio’s Paul Boger reports.
A district court judge in Carson City has placed a temporary restraining order preventing the state’s Department of Taxation from enforcing a deadline for submitting recreational marijuana license applications.
The order is part of a lawsuit by the Independent Alcohol Distributors of Nevada challenging a set of temporary regulations. The group argues that under question 2 – the ballot initiative that legalized the sale of pot – they were given preferential treatment to distribute marijuana to dispensaries.
However, regulators voted to allow those in the medical marijuana industry to distribute the state’s new commodity, at least until January 1st, when the permanent program begins. The judge’s order could very likely delay early sales which were slated to begin July 1st.
To complicate the matter further, delays in early implementation could lead to trouble for a state budget which may rely heavily on taxes from pot sales for public education.
