Nevada: Gambling on Marijuana Legalization

This year Nevada, will once again, gamble on marijuana. In 1998 and 2000, legalization proponents lobbied the state to legalize marijuana as medicine, resulting in the passage of Question 9. Question 9 also reduced penalties for possession of up to 1-ounce marijuana. This year, they want to go further still, effectively becoming the first state in the United State to legalize marijuana use.

This new initiative, referred to as Ballot Question 9, would require the state to grow, tax, and distribute marijuana to retail stores for sale to the public. Under Ballot Question 9, anyone 21 years of age and older would be permitted to use or possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana without any legal or criminal ramifications.