Nevada has legalized and decriminalized both medical and recreational (adult use) cannabis sale (by licensed retailers) and possession (by persons 21+ years of age).
Whether a state has medical or recreational cannabis use and sale allowed is important to any current or prospective cannabis business owner because the status of the cannabis regulations largely impacts the business's consumer base. Recreational cannabis being allowed in Nevada is significant because the state usually has a large volume of tourists which makes for huge profit potential for dispensary owners.
In 1998, Nevada voters approved the Nevada Medical MarijuanaAct (Question 9) with 59% of the vote. It was approved again in 2000 with 65% of the vote. Because the initiative was a constitutional amendment it required approval in consecutive elections in order to become law.
Medical use was officially legalized with the June2001 passage of Assembly Bill 453, which took effect on October 1.
Question 2 was approved by voters in 2016 and approved the sale of recreational cannabis to customers 21 years of age or older, by dispensaries. Recreational sales began on July 1, 2017.