Are you wondering about legal cannabis in Nevada?

Here’s some good news: The state is pretty much experiencing a golden age in cannabis law reform. Both recreational and medical cannabis are legal in Nevada — and dispensaries in both realms are booming.  

But that’s not all. Here are five important things you need to know about the legality of cannabis in Nevada.

1. Nevada is medical marijuana friendly

Medical cannabis has been legal in Nevada since 2001. Qualifying conditions include:

  • AIDS
  • Cachexia
  • Cancer
  • Glaucoma
  • PTSD
  • Muscle spasms/seizures
  • Severe nausea or pain
  • Other conditions

Also in 2001, state lawmakers took a step to de-felonize the plant. Full-blown decriminalization would still be a few years off…but it’s definitely here now. 

2. What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay there anymore…

Don’t panic — we’re talking about recreational cannabis here, not more serious vices.  Let us explain. 

Recreational marijuana has been legal in Nevada since 2017, but the journey from new law to real-life happened kind of inconsistently. Certain areas of the state ended up welcoming recreational cannabis before others. 

One of the earliest adopters? The city of Las Vegas. Fast forward to today and Vegas has dozens of dispensaries, many of them concentrated around the Strip and open until 3 AM. You can even get cannabis delivered to you — as long as you’re carrying some cash and not staying at a hotel. 

3. The state has tons of dispensaries

Over 60 of them, in fact, and they’re popular enough to have generated over 100 million in tax dollars just last year. According to Fox 13 News, “cannabis sales were also up from $529 million in fiscal year 2018 to approximately $639 million in fiscal year 2019, an increase of $110 million.”

Best of all, anyone over the age of 21 can legally buy cannabis at Nevada dispensaries. Just bring your driver’s license or ID! Also keep in mind that you technically can’t buy more than two-and-a-half ounces of bud within a two week period. Apparently someone’s keeping track.

4. Get a medical card if you want the super strong stuff 

Despite the fact that legal recreational cannabis is available to everyone, there are still some perks to being a card-carrying medical cannabis patient. Medical dispensaries typically offer bulk deals and don’t charge the 10-percent sales tax that recreational dispensaries do. 

An even, well, stronger perk? In Nevada, a medical cannabis card grants one access to unusually strong products — like 300, 500, or even 1,000-milligram edibles.  

One more positive aspect: Cardholders who live 25 or more miles from the nearest dispensary can even grow their own medicine.

5. Some employers can’t test for cannabis

Yes, really. The law responsible went into effect January 1st, 2020…and it made Nevada the very first state to prohibit pre-employment drug tests for cannabis. 

“That really opens up their job pool and allows for that much more normalization in this state, and you’re going to see many other states, too, following through with very similar legislation,” cannabis consultant Jason Sturtsman told Channel 3 News.

This law is still being fully worked out; for example, employers can still test their current employees, and those in certain fields (firefighters, EMTs, etc) aren’t exempt. But it still marks a step in the right direction. If cannabis is legal, then obviously even those with important careers should be free to partake. 

*For more info on the ins and outs of drug testing, just click here

 

Overall, Nevada is doing cannabis right. They’ve come a long way since 2017’s initial recreational legalization. And we’re hopeful that the state’s laws will continue to progress well into the future.

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