Nevada AG Opposes California Doctor MMJ Recs

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Nevada’s attorney general delivered potentially bad news for at least some of the state’s medical marijuana dispensaries, suggesting that they should no longer be allowed to serve MMJ patients from California who only have a doctor’s recommendation to use the drug.

Attorney General Adam Laxalt penned his opinion on the matter in a letter to the director of Nevada’s health department, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

The department will ultimately decide whether to codify and implement Laxalt’s recommendations.

Nevada lets patients who are registered to use medical cannabis in other states purchase MMJ while visiting.

In California, patients can buy medical marijuana from dispensaries with a doctor’s recommendation, or they can get an official state-licensed card.

At least one Las Vegas dispensary owner said his business would suffer if it could no longer serve California patients with a doctor’s note instead of a medical marijuana card.

More than 90% of medical marijuana patients in California obtain their cannabis with a doctor’s recommendation because obtaining a state-issued MMJ card is more expensive, David Goldwater, owner of Inyo Fine Cannabis Dispensary, told the Sun.

Goldwater estimated that 40% of his patients are from outside the state.

Another Las Vegas dispensary owner said many of his patients are California residents who live in Nevada part time.

If the department adopts the suggestion, Nevada dispensaries will still be allowed to accept California medical marijuana cards.