By Monterey Bud

 

Residents and vacationers alike might be celebrating true freedom in Nevada this 4th of July as the Silver State’s head tax officials rush to roll out their brick-and-mortar recreational marijuana dispensaries.

While retail shops were originally scheduled to open their doors for business no later than Jan. 1, 2018, regulators at the Nevada State Department of Taxation have been pushing hard to fire up Nevada’s adult use of marijuana – ASAP. Deonne Contine, Executive Director of the Department of Taxation, informed an inquisitive group of Nevada’s policymakers that she intends on publicizing her summary of their proposed rules and regulations by March 2017.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, “Contine told a panel of state lawmakers that she expects to publicize a draft of those regulations in March and begin accepting applications for temporary licenses to sell recreational pot in May — well in advance of the state’s Jan. 1, 2018, deadline.”

With priority given to medical marijuana dispensaries with an established history of operating within the currently defined legal parameters of the state, Director Contine is hoping to issue temporary licenses to operate soon — allowing Nevada’s adult-use pot shops to sell to the public by July 1. Restricting licenses for marijuana shops based on the individual county’s populations, Nevada State’s Department of Taxation will allow the following:

• Up to 80 stores in counties with a population of more than 700,000
• Up to 20 stores in counties with a population between 100,000 and 700,000
• Up to 4 stores in counties with a population between 55,000 and 100,000
• Up to 2 stores in counties with a population of fewer than 55,000

For those soon-to-be marijuana moguls looking to fire up their own recreational storefront … you’ll have to be patient. According to Contine’s currently defined timetable, those interested in cultivating a recreational storefront will be able to apply for a license no earlier than October 2018.

A safer bet than most of Vegas’ legalized vices, provided Director Contine is successful at cultivating Nevada’s adult-use marijuana stores by July 1, the Las Vegas strip could be packed with blissed-out revelers enjoying their own personal “blaze of glory” come this 4 July.

Fingers crossed!