Nevada is known for embracing the vices that a lot of other states stay away from.
Because of that, state and local officials have figured out how to regulate areas that other states might find more difficult.
That doesn’t, of course, mean it’s always easy.
That was never more clear than when Nevada jump-started recreational marijuana sales six months earlier than planned, on July 1.
Now some Clark County Commissioners want strict rules in place for any marijuana businesses found breaking local laws. Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick wants to establish a marijuana control board, similar to the boards used to regulate liquor and gaming, to keep a watchful eye on that budding industry.
“I’m hoping to do something similar with marijuana so we can learn from past folks' mistakes and we can set a standard in place so that it allows the businesses to thrive but it also protects our constituents and our tourists who come here," she said.
Some of the issues that have already come up include a yoga business that wanted to hand out free marijuana for some of its classes and a marketing broker who came to town just to hold a marijuana party.
Kirkpatrick said some of the stuff that has come up wasn't envisioned by lawmakers crafting regulations for marijuana. She said the law is silent on some of these topics.
“We want to make sure that all those silent pieces are addressed and that we’re always keeping up with what the industry is trying to do,” she said.
Kirkpatrick said the rules for recreational marijuana will change as the industry matures. So, perhaps events that are against the rules now, like marijuana-paired dinners could be allowed in the future. But she believes the industry needs strong ground rules now with mechanisms for penalties if those rules are broken.
She is hoping the state will step in to fill in some of the regulatory blank spaces like whether party buses that offer marijuana can roll up and down the Las Vegas Strip, which is a state highway.
One of the issues that still need to be worked out is advertising at McCarran International Airport. Kirkpatrick supports an ordinance that would outlaw any advertising of marijuana businesses at the airport. But advertising on the tops of taxis is controversial, she said, because that is regulated by a different agency than the commission.
Overall, Kirkpatrick hopes a marijuana control board will bring consistency of rules and the process for repercussion if those rules are broken.
Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Clark County Commissioner