Cannabis consumers will be able to purchase larger volumes and more potent THC products in Nevada thanks to a bill signed into law last month that is anticipated to make sweeping changes to the industry.
Senate Bill 277 allows recreational cannabis customers to purchase up to 2½ ounces of marijuana flower or one-quarter ounce of THC concentrate, up from one ounce and one-eighth ounces, respectively. Under the new law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2024, retailers that offer both recreational and medicinal products will be required to hold only one license rather than specific certifications for either.
“That’s one of the big changes, (but) I think there are a bunch of things in the bill that are really designed to be business-friendly and moving our cannabis industry into the next phase,” said state Sen. Dallas Harris, D-Las Vegas, who introduced the bill.
And because only one type of license will be needed to operate a dispensary, some medical-grade marijuana products — which are typically stronger — will be sold along with recreational products, said Bri Padilla, executive director of the Las Vegas Chamber of Cannabis.
“Medical patients are actually able to access more potent and higher levels of products so they’re not seeing any change there,” said Padilla, who worked alongside Harris and industry stakeholders to craft the bill. “What we’ll see is the consumer achieve parity with what medical folks can purchase.
“They’ll be able to elevate all of their products to the standard that we’re seeing for medical, and then we’ll also be able to provide that for them,” Padilla continued.
Having a distinction between recreational and medicinal licenses was essential when the industry was just getting rolling, Harris said. But given the success of recreational cannabis (which has been legal in Nevada since 2017) and the similarity between the recreational and medicinal products, it was only natural for lawmakers and stakeholders to want to eliminate some of the red tape within the industry in the state.
