RENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada voters legalized recreational marijuana in November, and officials are trying to put rules in place to start selling it on July 1.
It would be the shortest turnaround from legalization to the launch of sales in any of the other seven states and District of Columbia where recreational pot is legal. Regulations are complicated and typically lengthy to enact around a drug still banned by the U.S. government.
But Nevada's quick timeline faces a major hurdle: A legal battle between the state and the powerful liquor lobby over who can distribute the drug to retailers.