Proposed Nevada bill could remove Marijuana’s status as a ‘controlled substance’
LAS VEGAS - A forthcoming bill in the Nevada legislature could remove marijuana’s status as a “controlled substance” and remove authority from the Nevada Board of Pharmacy.
The bill would streamline state control of marijuana to a sole agency: the Cannabis Compliance Board, according to Assemblyman Reuben D’Silva.
“We don’t need to have several levels of regulation on a substance now, that we know is part and parcel of our community, and part and parcel of our of our economy,” D’Silva said. “In the end, this is a burdensome regulation, and that we need to remove the Nevada Board of Pharmacy statutorily now from having oversight over cannabis products and cannabis derivatives,” he said.
FOX5 has covered the recent court proceedings over the Nevada Board of Pharmacy’s continued classification of marijuana as a Schedule I substance. On the federal Drug and Enforcement Agency’s website, it defines substances including marijuana as “drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
The ACLU had sued to remove the classification on behalf of a barber, whose license was denied over the substance. According to the ACLU, Nevada enshrined medical marijuana use and access in the state constitution, and voters also passed a ballot on medicinal marijuana in 2000 and recreational marijuana in 2017.
Legal counsel for the Board of Pharmacy would not comment to FOX5 on our previous story on pending litigation. Attorneys in court argued that voter referendums did not change marijuana’s classification as a controlled substance.
A spokesperson for GOP members of the Assembly issued the following response:
“We look forward to working with Democrats to find the best ways to open Nevada back up for business. Of course, we’ll have to review testimony and input from the community first. We look forward to reviewing the facts and deciding what’s best, working with our colleagues across the aisle.”
FOX5 also reached out to the board regarding this proposed bill, and had not heard back as of Monday evening.
