NORML: Nevada: Multiple Marijuana Reform Bills Await Governor’s Signature

A quick Nevada catch up c/-  NORML

Carson City, NV: Lawmakers have advanced several marijuana-specific measures to Democrat Gov. Steve Sisolak.

Assembly Bill 341 provides regulations governing the establishment of on-site “cannabis consumption lounges” for those ages 21 and older. Regulators will determine the specific types of cannabis products that are “appropriate for consumption” in the facilities. Alaska and Colorado have previously enacted legislation explicitly permitting social consumption sites for cannabis, and New York’s nascent adult-use law also regulates on-site facilities. Similar legislation is currently pending in California.

Assembly Bill 400 amends the state’s traffic safety statutes so that the operation of a motor vehicle with trace amounts of either THC or its metabolite is no longer a per se violation of law.

Under the state’s existing traffic safety laws, it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle with trace levels of either THC or the 11-hydroxy-THC metabolites in one’s blood or urine, even absent any further evidence of psychomotor impairment. The revised measure eliminates the application of those limits in certain circumstances.

NORML has consistently opposed the imposition of THC per se limits, opining that such thresholds are not evidence-based and that they may lead to the criminal prosecution of people who consumed cannabis several days previously but are no longer under its influence.

Another measure approved by lawmakers, Assembly Bill 158, revises first-time penalties imposed upon minors who possess small quantities of cannabis. The proposed law reduces existing penalties — which include up to six-months in jail and a $1,000 fine — to community service. The measure also requires courts to automatically seal records for these offenses if the offender completes the term of their sentence.

Lawmakers also approved and the Governor has signed Senate Bill 168, which allows retailers to facilitate curbside pick-ups for licensed cannabis products. Allowances were initially made during the COVID019 pandemic to allow for curbside pick-up. Under the law, localities can prohibit curbside sales if they wish to do so.

The three other measures now await action from the Governor, who is expected to sign them into law.

For more information, contact NORML State Policies Manager Carly Wolf.

Nevada: Multiple Marijuana Reform Bills Await Governor’s Signature

 

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