LETTERS: Grow the economy with medical marijuana
To the editor:
Jobs and taxable income are the two things Nevada needs most. The medical marijuana business can generate both tax revenue and new job opportunities for Nevadans. In Colorado, for instance, medical cannabis generated more than $9 million on a 2.9 percent sales tax last year alone.
This doesn’t include the property taxes that cultivators, labs and dispensaries pay. Let’s say that the pharmaceutical industry has developed a 100 percent natural product that alleviated the suffering of thousands of Nevadans diagnosed with cancer, HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, migraines, epilepsy and other debilitating diseases. They now want to locate their manufacturing and distribution facilities throughout local jurisdictions in Nevada. Now realize that the only thing preventing patients’ access to this palliative product is the reluctance of some local governments to issue zoning and business license regulations to these pharmaceutical companies willing to invest millions of dollars in these jurisdictions. This is the current state of limbo of the medical cannabis industry in Nevada.
As many legal experts have pointed out, all that stands in the way of real care for thousands of Nevadans is an irrational fear: Some local jurisdictions have passed moratoriums on zoning and licensing medical marijuana cultivators, labs and dispensaries because of a simple fear of the unknown — they’ve never licensed a medical cannabis operation before (“Medical marijuana dilemma,” Jan. 20 Review-Journal).
But if these local jurisdictions won’t zone medical cannabis establishments for humanitarian reasons, they should do it for economic reasons. In 2013, sales of legal marijuana nationwide topped $1.43 billion. This industry is expected to grow by 64 percent this year, with sales expected to hit $2.34 billion.
The medical marijuana industry is as high-tech as any pharmaceutical endeavor. It takes chemists and agronomists to grow specific strains to manage particular symptoms. Cultivating and caring for these specific strains is a labor-intensive process, and dispensaries need qualified staff to serve their clients. This adds an entirely new spectrum of nongaming/nonmining jobs to the Nevada economy. Finally, the commerce needs an army of professional support to ensure compliance with laws and the safety and security of patrons.
So it is true that local jurisdictions have never licensed medical cannabis before, but there was a first time for these jurisdictions to license gaming, alcohol consumption and other adult uses, too. Medical marijuana commerce is no different than any other privileged business license.
Local jurisdictions should recognize that they are really not blazing any new territory and should pass reasonable zoning and business licensing regulations to allow medical marijuana establishments to begin serving clients in Nevada.
JEFFREY F. BARR
LAS VEGAS
The writer is an attorney with Ashcraft &Barr.
