2020-21 Improvements and Recommendations

In the 2020 legislative session, Nevada lawmakers passed AB341 which, among other legal reforms, called for the creation of a new committee made up of patients and industry stakeholders that would weigh in on regulatory affairs. In July 2020, the first meeting of Nevada’s new Cannabis Advisory Committee was held. The committee will break into several subcommittees that will approach different regulatory issues faced by Nevada’s cannabis program including Social Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Public Health, Public Safety, and Market Stability.

Per Governor Steve Sisolak’s Emergency Directive #044, decisions on COVID-19 mitigation measures transitioned to local authority on May 1, 2021. In May, Governor Sisolak signed a bill making curbside pickup permanent. An additional COVID emergency measure where regulators had extended all patient registrations through June 2021 was not renewed.

In 2022, Nevada lawmakers looking to improve their grade should focus on expanding the protections the state provides to patients to cover housing and parental rights. The new Cannabis Advisory Committee should also move to abolish the qualifying condition list, instead allowing medical cannabis to be recommended for any condition.