Rally Day in Carson City >>>

Given the countless number of conventions and events catering to the cannabis industry being hosted in Nevada and the hundreds of millions in state tax revenue the industry generates annually, it’s almost surprising that recreational sales started less than six years ago. Yet in only half a decade, the Nevada cannabis industry has become an incredibly lucrative one. As an industry with nearly $1 billion in annual sales from locals as well as the millions of yearly tourists and employs an estimated 23,000 people, the Nevada cannabis industry overall has been mostly successful.

However even with an industry as popular and heavily regulated as Nevada cannabis, there are currently still numerous burdensome rules and regulations as well as a lack of helpful measures that would make the industry more affordable and accessible.

Beyond the exorbitant costs of starting a licensed cannabis business in the state, true social equity and restorative justice measures for cannabis are being added slowly in pieces.

Because of the current lack of measures regarding those subjects and how it relates to working directly in the industry, many ex-offenders and felons are barred from employment. Even if the felony was a victimless offense, those convicts are mostly banned from receiving a Nevada agent card. Especially in a state such as Nevada where any cannabis possession whatsoever was instantly a felony at one point, the rules surrounding excluded felony offenses are even more exclusionary.

A stable employment opportunity within a newly legal industry looking for experienced people in the subject of cannabis could certainly be instrumental in diminishing the recidivism rate of the thousands of convicts in Nevada..

And, while Las Vegas prides itself on being the adult-centered playground of the world, a cannabis consumer could currently purchase three times as much retail cannabis in the far more socially conservative town of Branson, Missouri than in Sin City. The daily purchasing limits of Nevada are more restrictive when compared to other states. In a city such as Las Vegas that markets itself so notoriously on adult-oriented activities, it’s just a little embarrassing when other states easily outdo Nevada on those purchasing limits.

Luckily for the currently struggling industry, there are two measures in the Legislature that would be revolutionary and provide a second wind to Nevada cannabis beyond simply the consumption lounges. Authored by Senator Dallas Harris, Senate Bill 277 would increase the daily purchasing limit by double and allow canna-businesses to make the decision whether or not to hire ex-offenders who have been excluded from working in cannabis previously.

Authored by Assembly members Reuben D’Silva and Brittney Miller, Assembly Joint Resolution 8 would “urge the Congress of the United States to deschedule marijuana as a schedule I controlled substance.” This measure would be monumental for the completion of medical cannabis research in particular, as the current status of Schedule I prohibits any legitimate federally-funded scientific or medical research from being completed on cannabis.

To lobby for these further reformative measures and raise awareness of the possibilities of these bills directly to Nevada lawmakers, the Chamber of Cannabis took an army of passionate advocates and industry professionals up to Carson City for a three-part Rally Day. From attending a bi-partisan Senate committee meeting about SB 277 to hosting a rally outside the State Legislature building to having individual meetings with elected state officials about these bills, the Chamber took multiple approaches in their strategy for the day.

During her introduction of SB 277 in the Senate Committee of Commerce and Labor meeting, Senator Harris brought up the double standard that unlike cannabis sales, there’s virtually no daily limit on alcohol purchases in Nevada and how there’s little assumption that those large-scale alcohol purchasers are going to sell that alcohol illegally. The 11th District Senator also emphasized that while SB 277 would allow ex-offenders to work in the industry, cannabis businesses wouldn’t be required in any way to hire a former offender if their criminal record is truly problematic. The bill would give full discretion and freedom of decision to those businesses on which former offenders they choose to hire.

Even more, the Cannabis Compliance Board will still have their right to deny a Nevada agent card to whomever may have felonies that would be concerning if they were to be employed in the state’s cannabis industry.

“We’ve got to move this industry into the next phase.” Harris said. “We’ve got to try our best to try to destigmatize this drug that we decided we’ll create a legal market for and do it consciously.”

During her testimony at the Senate Committee of Commerce and Labor meeting, Chamber of Cannabis President and Co-Founder Tina Ulman mentioned the many ways that the Nevada cannabis industry is currently struggling, such as a drop of $19 million in tax revenue, a 15 percent drop in overall sales and an unlicensed market that detrimentally cuts into the economy of the local industry. The Chamber co-founder also mentioned the many possibilities of this multifaceted bill and the beneficial elements that it would bring.

“According to data from the Prison Policy Initiative,” Ulman shared, “there are 22,000 people on probation and 6,000 people on parole in Nevada. That’s 28,000 missed opportunities. By creating a pathway to enter the licensed market, we reduce the number of operators on the unlicensed market and tax dollars spent on people staying in the criminal justice system. We have the opportunity to increase the talent pool for cultivators and producers who are in high demand not just in Nevada, but the rest of

BY JOSH KASOFF