Pubdate: Fri, 23 Aug 2013
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)
Copyright: 2013 Las Vegas Review-Journal
Contact: http://www.reviewjournal.com/about/print/press/letterstoeditor.html
Website: http://www.lvrj.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/233
Author: Benjamin Spillman

MARIJUANA BUSINESSES PUT ON HOLD

Las Vegas won't yet accept applications for medical marijuana 
businesses despite a new state law authorizing regulated pot sales 
and production.

The City Council on Wednesday approved a short-term resolution 
directing city staff not to accept land use, business license or 
building permit applications for marijuana businesses.

The resolution is in place until the council has a chance to consider 
a six-month moratorium on such businesses, which is scheduled for a 
vote in two weeks.

The refusal to accept applications comes despite the Nevada 
Legislature's approval of Senate Bill 374, signed into law by Gov. 
Brian Sandoval in June, which authorizes up to 40 dispensaries in 
Clark County. The bill came more than a decade after the state's 
voters approved legalization of medical marijuana and a 2001 law that 
stipulated patients had to grow the drug themselves.

Marijuana is still illegal under federal law, but law enforcement has 
backed off cracking down on people using it for medical reasons. 
Other states have loosened marijuana restrictions in recent years.

Several people testified against the resolution before the City 
Council on Wednesday.

"To further block those efforts really doesn't serve the people as 
they voted," Jennifer Solis told the council.

City officials, however, said the delay is needed to have time to 
create rules for marijuana businesses. The state is required to 
devise regulations by April and could have them before the end of the year.

"We have done as much work as we can do at this point, but we need 
the state to act before we can forward something to you," Planning 
Director Flinn Fagg told the council.

Councilman Steve Ross urged the people who testified in favor of 
moving forward with dispensaries right away to be patient.

"It is not because we don't want the dispensaries," Ross said. "That 
is not the issue. The issue is how do we get there."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom