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Marijuana is shown at the home of James Parsons, a licensed medical marijuana patient and president of Medical Cannabis Consultants of Nevada, Oct. 26, 2010.
By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Monday, March 18, 2013 | 6:35 p.m.
Nevada Assemblyman Joe Hogan, D-Las Vegas, introduced a bill to legalize and tax marijuana Monday.
Under the Assembly Bill 402, Nevadans older than 21 could legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana for recreational use and up to six marijuana plants.
Nevada already allows for medical marijuana possession, but has no legal system for obtaining the drug.
Hogan’s bill would allow for the wholesale cultivation and retail sale of marijuana. A 25 percent excise tax would be charged at each step of bringing the drug to market: from wholesaler to the processing facility, from the processing facility or wholesaler to the retailer and from retailer to customer.
All tax revenue from marijuana sales would be earmarked for public schools.
Stephen Frye, a retired Las Vegas psychiatrist pushing the measure, estimated $500 million could be generated for education.
Hogan said he is sponsoring the measure because “prohibition doesn’t work.”
Nevada is the sixth state to consider decriminalizing recreational marijuana use.
If the liquor lobby and Big pharma futurists have their say about this idea, we'll hear impassioned tales of horror from Prohibitionists and get to see re-runs of Reefer Madness!
Oh, too late!
Here they come!
Pot's bad.
Drugs are bad.
Liquor's bad, but it's ok.
Tobacco's bad, but it's okay too.
Kinda makes ya wonder about that International Global Commission on Drug Policy that came up with the data about how the 'War on Drugs' had wasted gobs of money, handed fortunes to cartels, wasted a mess of lives, etc.
What they said kinda shook the markets up a bit, if you will. Sure it's easy to understand how something as effective as good pot is of course going to have both big ag and big pharma lookin into all kinds of blends of seed and sun, THC quantity and THC deliverable on a consistent basis, outcome in metrics of mood, pain relief, measured acuity/creativity and human productivity.
As a direct result lotsa folks are rethinking legalization, Nevada one of the trailers, though its history, locale and environment lend themselves to opportunity if stodgy can handle change.
When Colorado and Washington upped last election and shouted in a resounding state's rights challenge: "Hey. We are smokin weed here for recreational purposes now! Get it?? Recreational use!",
well,
they really did raise the stakes in the discussion, huh?
Is Nevada stuck in stodgy?? Or are they willing to party down smokey?
The drinker they smoke, the spender they get. Sounds like a good match for Las Vegas, no?
I'm bettin on a ballot box tilting the Tilsons toward the touche of a bed and breakfast tuned bed, bong and beyond, where young-ins learn to ask "Brownie with that coffee?"
About a year ago, the President of a small South American country had a similar response to the wasted human resources, the wasted money and the senseless enriching of drug lords at the expense of his country.
He upped and said "We're gonna grow it, roll the joints and beat anybody's price and everybody's quality! We're gonna have fun and we're gonna do it right - here's how!"
http://www.examiner.com/article/uruguay-...
Progress in Nevada? Surely you jest....
I wonder if all the ramifications have been worked out if pot is legalized? Like how many joints are you allowed in what time frame before you are not allowed to drive? Will all joints be a standard size? Will all grass be of the same potency? Etc.
Not making any judgements, just wondering...
Makes sense that the guy who got a DUI driving behind the strip clubs wants to legalize weed
Do it. Nevada needs the Money. Weed will be consumed anyways, legal or not ...
This will never pass. It's a nice thought and would help the educational system... but it will never pass.
Boy these Mexican drug cartels have some political power. They have lobbyists in Washington and Carson City...must be some money passing under the table and some hired hookers under the table watching that money being given to our great leaders. Imagine that, drug addicts driving legally on the streets of Vegas.
They can set the taxes as high as they want. When they tax too much people will just buy it on the street as they do now.
They not interest in what the people want, they are just looking at how much money they "think" they will get.
The formula is not right for Nevada and this effort. Rednecks + Mormons + Prison-4-Profit industries will keep this from going through.
I applaud Joe Hogan for his effort but I suggest he start with a simple bill to de-criminalize first. (poss of 1 oz or less, 4 plants or less = $100 civil fine) just to establish the basis for future legalization.
Legalizing and taxing Cannabis is a simple idea; too bad the politicos who smoke the stuff want to complicate things. Just like taxing and legalizing prostitution in Clark County, a simple idea. Again, politicos who frequent these places don't want it legalized and taxed because they want to have all this 'fun' to themselves, or are they just afraid of being seen indulging in a substance they have frowned on, but, see fit to indulge in themselves? HYPOCRITES.
There is probably more marijuana consumed in Las Vegas than any other city in the world of comparable size. Who's kidding who? It should of been legalized years ago. People don't come here for intellectual stimulation. They come here to have a good time. Prostitution and drugs are part of the Las Vegas culture. It's that way today and it was that way when my father first brought me here nearly 50 years ago.
When you earmark it to the schools, you should allow drugs to be sold to kids under age 21 only.
Smoke classes are coming.
As someone who hasn't touched the stuff in over 20 years, I don't think its governments responsibility or authority to make it illegal. While weed is not healthy, It's been proven weed is no worse then tobacco or alcohol.
Yes it's legal now to certain extents. However they need to make it legal to grow for personal use, and manufacturer/distribute through strict guidelines and taxes. I doubt as much money will be made as the article says (after paying for the governance/paperwork/inspections cost money), however whatever is left should go to educate people that weed is not healthy, and whatever remaining should go to public schools. Otherwise it will never have my vote.
If Nevada politicians had half a working brain then at a minimum they would decriminalize possession of smaller amounts of weed and possibly a few other drugs.
Police could have a confiscate and write a ticket policy with a fine of maybe $200.
Not only would that generate easy revenue the savings of reduced police and justice system hours from paperwork, prosecutions, jail costs, etc. would be huge, millions of dollars.
Of course the public service unions would have none of that.
Right. The liquor lobby and Big pharma see billions lost. Marijuana will improve the health and bottom line of thousands and prevent harmless people from being turned into felons...and costing the State $40,000 a year to incarcerate while the school budgets suffer.
A similar perspective is found in travel: the automobile, petroleum and road builders are shaking in their nylons about high speed rail. Once the public experiences the SAFETY, peacefulness and dependability of trains they will look forward to national travel on Continental systems.
Vegaslee raises a very significant issue - what people pay for feeling good!
In the states where the pot is going toward legalization, first in medical states 16 or so so far, and then the legal for RECREATIONAL purposes, the prices on the street are dropping. Good chronic sells for $130 to $250 an ounce. In other states, street prices are double or so. The states plan to beat that price a bit and still get their piece of it. One ointent is eliminate much of black market de facto subsidies. This works well.
in Uruguay and in Washington and Colorado, the first push is for the state to own it all, but competition will surely exist, if only for niche markets - super buds from Donna or Gus or...
Another phenomenon we are discovering in analyzing this dynamic sea-change is the trend toward cooking with cannabis.
With availability come the alternative ingestion avenues - beverages, salads, cheeses, entrees, desserts (a course!), snacks, jams, bacon spreads, dressings, sauces and budders, oils and toppings.
It's not just joints or brownies anymore!
Picture a Trader Joe's aisle of enabled yum and proteins and peanut bars packed with potentiation from the gods, even as prisoners in some states are doing time, and some places SHOOT ya on sight on site for having an ounce a weed, good God almighty.
Amen to getting along. Amen to not enriching crooks and thugs. Amen to choice, diversity and freedom to go there and know and be and feel. Amen to America doing what Americans choose.
Our neighbor state California seems to be doing well...Nevada would benefit 2-fold: 25% excise tax, and generating revenue in general. We have plenty of space for Industrializuation. Who knows, by 2020 Las Vegas Valley could be the next Napa; but in lieu of wine, cannabis. M Prez 4 Mayor