The 2016 Election is going to be the biggest election in the history of the marijuana reform movement. As many as 16 states (by my count) could be voting on some form of marijuana legalization. One state has already put marijuana legalization on the ballot. That state is Nevada. Organizers gathered enough signatures to put marijuana legalization before the Nevada Legislature, and since the Nevada Legislature failed to act on the proposal, it now automatically goes on the 2106 Election ballot. Per Marijuana Business Daily:
Under the terms of the initiative, the state Department of Taxation would oversee rec businesses, including vendors, growers, manufacturers, wholesalers and testing labs. A 15% excise tax would be applied to wholesale transactions, while retail sales would be taxed at already-established state and local rates, according to Marijuana Policy Project.
Zoning may still be an issue for some if the measure passes, since local governments will maintain control over locations for cannabis companies.
I hope we don’t see a situation in Nevada like we are seeing in Oregon. Similar to what happened in Nevada, Oregon lawmakers had a chance to pass their own version of marijuana legalization prior to voters passing legalization. Now they are scrambling after the fact to try impose their will and overturn the will of the voters by gutting the initiative. That’s unacceptable in Oregon, and would also be unacceptable in Nevada, or anywhere else for that matter. If politicians want their version of marijuana legalization to become the law of the land, they need to take the opportunity afforded to them, or step aside.
