Medical watch

Statewide regulations covering medical marijuana dispensaries took effect on April 1, clearing the way for local governments to provide for dispensaries within their jurisdictions.

City staffers in Sparks are preparing language for the Sparks City Council to use in dealing with medical marijuana dispensaries in the Rail City. The step doesn't commit the council to approving dispensaries, however.

In Nye County, the county commission approved zoning for dispensaries within Pahrump, but then ended up banning them by a 4 to 1 vote. Meanwhile, a planned “High Desert Cup Music and Cannabis Expo,” portrayed by its organizers as championing medical marijuana, was canceled when they could not raise all the needed funding. It would have taken place in Petrack Park in Pahrump.

Meanwhile, a benchmark of sorts was reached in Nevada dispensary news— it made the Wall Street Journal, which reported on a financial transaction involving Nevada (“IDS Industries Announces PMG Partnership With Nevada Cannabis Processor,” WSJ, March 31). The coverage was the result of this convoluted announcement from IDS: “IDS Industries, Inc. (OTCQB: IDST) announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Propel Management Group, Inc. (PMG) has contracted with Aja Cannafacturing (AJA), a Nevada company, along with Black and LoBello, a highly respected and nationally renowned law firm, to develop and launch of one of the first licensed medical marijuana processors in the state of Nevada.”

Comedian Bill Maher commented to a Las Vegas columnist on that city's dragging its feed on dispensaries: “That's so typical of Las Vegas. Yes, you can go 20 minutes outside the city and get a whore. That's completely legal, but no pot.”

The Las Vegas City Council last month approved dispensaries, but extended a moratorium on accepting applications to July. Surrounding Clark County, however, moved ahead with licensing of dispensaries, though it is also requiring that the plant sold be grown locally, a requirement that prompted two pro-dispensary county commissioners to vote against the county ordinance.

Growing marijuana, in fact, is becoming a bigger issue as dispensaries move forward. In Pahrump, grow facilities are being allowed even as dispensaries are banned.