Recreational Marijuana Dispensaries Open in Nevada
Despite some confusion, sales began on July 1.
Sales of recreational marijuana in Nevada began as scheduled on July 1 from dozens of approved dispensaries, despite some confusion about whether that starting date actually would come to pass, according to news media reports in the state.
Nevada's Department of Taxation has managed the award of licenses, and as of last week, 82 locations in the state had been approved.
A June 28 article by the Las Vegas Sun's Chris Kudialis quoted Nevada state Sen. Tick Segerblom, a marijuana advocate, as predicting the Nevada era of recreational marijuana will be like "Amsterdam on steroids."
"Everything we know shows that millennials are very pro-marijuana, and that's the new marketing push. This is a game-changer for Las Vegas and tourism here, as far as I'm concerned,” Segerblom said, according to Kudialis' article. Nevada has one of the world's largest tourism industries, and a report in May 2017 by Gov. Brian Sandoval's marijuana task force estimated as much as 63 percent of recreational buyers in the state will be tourists, he reported.
His June 29 article said various parties were optimistic the legal impediments could be resolved in time.