News · April 19, 2017

City of Vegas May Loosen Marijuana Dispensary Rules

By Pace Lattin · Originally published April 19, 2017

Concerned they’re losing business to medical marijuana retailers in unincorporated parts of Clark County, city officials in Las Vegas are now eyeballing possible rollbacks to city MMJ rules that may let Sin City dispensaries stay open later and serve more customers.

Proposed changes could also give dispensaries more flexibility on what products they can carry, shrink business fees and revamp disposal requirements for expired MMJ, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

“I believe we’re now hurting ourselves because people are driving across Sahara (Avenue, outside of city limits),” city councilman Bob Beers said, regarding Las Vegas’ southern border.

Under a proposal raised Monday at a city council meeting, hours of operation for dispensaries would change to allow sales until 3 a.m. instead of the current required closing time of midnight. (Dispensaries would still have to be closed from 3 a.m.-6 a.m.)

Another potential change would remove an annual $75,000 license fee, and in its place would be a one-time $75,000 “origination fee,” according to the newspaper.

The council will vote on the proposed changes at its May 17 meeting, the Review-Journal reported.

This story first ran on Pace Vegas in 2017 and is restored at its original address. Details reflect the time it was written; see "Since then" for what changed.