Marijuana Policy Project

Earlier this year the Marijuana Policy Project of Nevada (MPP-NV) opened its doors in the state and began to talk about why marijuana policy reform - specifically, a system of taxation and regulation - would be beneficial to the people of Nevada.  MPP-NV is currently engaging Nevadans throughout the state and asking them to rethink the failed marijuana prohibition policies that have negatively impacted their families, friends, and fellow citizens.

Since August of this year, MPP-NV has had booths at large festivals, attended county fairs and parades statewide, and held press conferences to educate the public about the relative harms of marijuana and alcohol. And there is much more to come.  To learn more about what MPP-NV is doing throughout the state, please visit the chapter's website.

2009 Legislative Session

With the help of people like you, we helped defeat a bill this session that would have increased criminal penalties for marijuana cultivation. SB 262 sought to create a new, additional penalty for those who grow only a single marijuana plant. Under the provisions of SB 262, growing between one and 25 marijuana plants would have been punished as a gross misdemeanor, which carries up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. However, under current Nevada law, it is already a felony punishable by up to six years in prison and $20,000 in fines to illegally cultivate or sell marijuana.

In short, SB 262 would have created new penalties in addition to existing penalties by carelessly lumping those growing a few marijuana plants for their own personal or medical use into the same category as drug traffickers.

With Nevada in such a dire financial situation, it is shocking that the state legislature would be spending their time debating a bill like this. Especially since 44% of Nevadans voted to opt out of marijuana prohibition entirely in November of 2006!

Ask your legislators to support ending prohibition

The Nevada Legislature will reconvene in February of 2011, but is never too early to ask your legislators to enact sensible marijuana laws.

You can help encourage lawmakers to support rational marijuana policies by downloading and distributing our brochure on taxing and regulating marijuana, which explains how this real solution would save taxpayers money, make our communities safer, and keep marijuana out of the hands of minors. This is a great piece of literature to leave with your legislators, community leaders, family, co-workers, and friends who might need a little educating on the subject. You can also take these to events and hand them out to attendees, or simply leave them on car windshields.

To help in your discussions with those willing to listen to reason, use our "Marijuana Prohibition Facts" handout, which gives statistics on the failures of marijuana prohibition.

Another excellent tool that you may find useful is our "Effective Arguments for Taxing and Regulating Marijuana," which will help you respond to common arguments you'll encounter while engaging others in conversation about this crucial issue.

With 44% of Nevada voters electing to replace marijuana prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation in 2006, it is clearly only a matter of time before a majority realizes that the time to end marijuana prohibition is now.

MPP financial assistance program for medical marijuana patients

MPP will cover the cost of Nevada's medical marijuana program application fee for low-income patients. At $200 per application, Nevada's medical marijuana program is the most expensive in the nation. The process for acquiring a state-issued ID card in Nevada is also more complex than in most states, as patients are required first to pay a $50 fee for the application materials, then to pay another $150 when they submit their application for consideration.

Although the Department of Agriculture was at one time in charge of processing patient applications, this duty has been shifted to the Department of Health, perhaps due to the administrative difficulties that the Department of Agriculture has recently encountered.

For more information on how to apply for MPP's financial assistance program, click here. If you would like to sponsor an applicant by donating to help cover the cost of the application, please click here.

Stay connected

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. If you have any questions concerning the status of marijuana policy reform in Nevada, you can contact MPP at state@mpp.org. Also, be sure to subscribe to MPP's free legislative alert service today if you haven't done so already.