July 8, 2019
It’s been nothing short of an incredibly exciting and exhilarating month for Nevada NORML, our advocates and the rights of patients and consumers. While Nevadans will unfortunately have to wait another two years for the fate of public consumption lounges to be decided upon, monumental legislation passed in the 2019 legislative session regardless.
The Battle Born State made national history with the passing and the subsequent signing by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak of Assembly Bill 132, which would prohibit employers within the state from rejecting an applicant based solely on a positive result for cannabis in a drug test. The bill greatly increases the employment opportunities of both recreational consumers and patients alike, and is undoubtedly a step in the correct progressive direction.
Speaking of the correct progressive direction, Assembly Bill 192 would authorize those who have received low-level, usually misdemeanor cannabis possession charges to apply for expungement.
Advocates also had the pleasure of attending a fundraiser at Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom’s residence in May, for New Jersey Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Cory Booker, where Senator Booker discussed his very vocal plans to legalize cannabis federally and further amend the criminal justice system, which is more critically broken and flawed.
The pinnacle of Nevada NORML’s advocacy over the past month consisted of board members’ tour across Northern Nevada. Over the course of three days, advocates visited underserved areas of the state not oftentimes visited by cannabis/criminal justice reform advocates.
“We were able to visit folks in Tahoe, Reno and Fallon as well as smoke shops, dispensaries and Budtender Fight Club.” said Nevada NORML Director Madisen Saglibene. “We educated them on the policies we helped pass, what didn’t pass, statistics on cannabis, starting a chapter in Northern Nevada and highlighting Old Pal as not only the sponsor for the event, but as a company who supports cultural change.”
