Pubdate: Wed, 19 Jun 2013
Source: Reno Gazette-Journal (NV)
Copyright: 2013 Reno Gazette-Journal
Contact: http://www.rgj.com/letters
Website: http://www.rgj.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/363
Author: Natasha Vitale

MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES STILL UP FOR DEBATE IN RENO

While medical marijuana dispensaries passed the Legislature, they were
still a topic of debate at the Reno City Council meeting on Wednesday.

How the new law translates to Reno is still being worked out, from
where the dispensaries can be built to whether Reno will have them at
all.

The use of medical pot has been legal in the Silver State since voters
approved a constitutional amendment in 2000, but until the Legislature
approved dispensaries, no legal way existed to purchase the drug.

"I firmly believe federal law trumps state law," Councilman Dwight
Dortch said. "Are we going to be on the hook, because we licensed
someone to do an illegal activity?"

The council agreed that if they did decide to go ahead and allow the
dispensaries, they were going to need to determine who would be
licensed, whether to charge application fees and what locations could
be used for the dispensaries.

Under the new law, Washoe County can have 10 dispensaries, but only 25
percent of those 10 can be in a single city, which means Reno will
have only two dispensaries.

Council members also want to look into other states like Arizona, who
have already implemented medical marijuana dispensaries, as well as
looking to other counties in Nevada to see what they will do with the
new law.

"I think we have to be tracking what's happening in Henderson, Clark
County, and see where they're going with this," Councilwoman Jenny
Berkhus said.

The council decided to work out regulation issues in a meeting in
September so they would have more information available to make their
decision.

The Nevada Media Alliance is a journalism partnership with RGJ Media,
KNPB Channel 5, Reno Public Radio and the Reynolds School of
Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno.
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MAP posted-by: Matt