Laws Changes For Nevada Cannabis Growers
Voters in California, Massachusetts and Nevada have decided that marijuana should be legal to use recreationally, CNN projects.
On election day, voters in five states were asked to decide whether the recreational use of marijuana should be legalized and so far, three have said yes. Official results have yet to come in for Maine and Arizona.
Four other states voted on whether marijuana should be used for medical reasons. Residents in Florida, Arkansas and North Dakota voted yes, according to their election results websites. Residents in Montana voted to lift provider restrictions. Medical marijuana now legal in more than half of US states.
The number of adults who have smoked weed has nearly doubled in three years, according to a Gallup poll released in August.
It is the No. 1 illicit drug of choice for Americans, according to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use, although only one-third of users reported an addiction to the substance, unlike most all the other illicit drugs used.
Prior to the vote, it was legal to use recreational marijuana in only four states and in the District of Columbia. Colorado and Washington state voted to OK it in 2012. Alaska and Oregon voters approved it in 2014.
For the states where recreational use is legal, it seems to have been a boost to the economy. The marijuana industry created more than 18,000 full-time jobs last year and generated $2.39 billion in Nevada Marijuana Seeds economic activity in Colorado, according to an analysis from the Marijuana Policy Group.
There have also been some health consequences. Emergency rooms have seen a significant increase in adult marijuana-related exposure cases.
The number of calls to poison control centers involving Colorado children has gone up, as has the number of children who've been taken to the hospital for treatment due to unintentional marijuana exposure, studies show. There have also been more school suspensions, marijuana-related traffic deaths, pet poisonings and lab explosions.
Growing Cannabis In Nevada.
In Nevada, it was a yes.
This "yes" on Question 2 will make recreational use of 1 ounce or less legal or one-eighth of an ounce or less of concentrated marijuana legal for people age 21 and older.
Medical marijuana was legalized in Nevada in 2000.
The new law will allow stores, manufacturers and distributors to set up shop in the state.
People can also grow six plants for personal use as long as it is in an enclosed area with a lock. The law will create fines for growing marijuana within public view. You could also get fined for smoking it in a public place or in a moving vehicle.
No marijuana businesses will be allowed to set up shop within 1,000 feet of a school and 500 feet of a community facility.
Nevada will also put a 15% excise tax on it. The money will go to support schools and the regulation of the drug.
A number of legislators and unions have voiced support for the measure. Conservative megadonor and casino owner Sheldon Adelson was against it. A number of legislators voiced support for legalization, suggesting that it could bring additional tourist revenue to the state.
