Report: Opposition to Nevada rec MJ campaign has spent little

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Although recreational marijuana legalization isn’t a foregone conclusion in Nevada, it seems like opponents of adult-use may think it is – given how little has been spent on opposition advertising.

That’s according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which reported that Nevadans “have heard little” from anti-legalization groups, although vocal opposition has emerged from the state’s attorney general and law enforcement officials.

As of Monday, the paper reported, the three groups registered in opposition to legalization had not purchased any TV ad slots, compared with the campaign behind the rec initiative, which has reserved over $900,000 on TV ad space in southern Nevada alone for the month prior to Election Day.

The only financial real pushback against rec has come from a Reno-based nonprofit, which has spent money on billboards suggesting that edibles could be a risk for kids who can’t tell the difference between infused and non-infused sweets.

The other three main groups – the Coalition Against Legalizing Marijuana, Nevadans for Responsible Drug Policy, and Protecting Nevada’s Children – have altogether done little to speak out against rec legalization.

However, there’s still over two months left until Nov. 8, Election Day, and Nevada is home to casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, a billionaire who pumped millions of his own money into defeating medical marijuana legalization in Florida two years ago.

So things could change.

Correction: The original brief posted here reported that the campaign supporting the legalization of recreational cannabis had spent over $900,000 on TV ad space for the month prior to Election Day, when in actuality the campaign had only reserved that much space. The ad space was not fully paid for as of Sept. 6.