CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - The Latest on the signing of a pot dispensary license transparency law in Nevada (all times local):
4:20 p.m.
Attorneys suing Nevada after some bidders were denied new licenses to open recreational marijuana dispensaries say a new state law opening records about the permit process doesn’t kill their legal challenges.
Will Kemp and Vincent Savarese (sahv-ahr-EES’) said Friday they expect the Department of Taxation’s release of applicants’ names and scores will bolster their clients’ cases.
Kemp, representing two dispensaries, claims bias in favor of certain winning applicants. He says he expects to find proof that temporary workers had problems comparing and grading bidders.
Savarese represents several companies. He says documents posted to the tax department website may bolster his contention that Nevada unconstitutionally picked winners and losers from 462 applicants for 61 new dispensary licenses.
Neither says their case is moot.
They have a May 24 court date in Las Vegas.
____
3 p.m.
Nevada’s top cannabis licensing official acknowledges that just 16 applicants won all 61 new marijuana dispensary licenses awarded last year.
Department of Taxation chief Melanie Young says in a statement on the department website Friday that’s because state law doesn’t allow permits to go to low-scoring bidders.
The state is nearly doubling its current 65 recreational sales outlets.
Young says 127 applicants averaged three bids each, totaling 462 applications for new licenses.
The department says three of 64 available licenses weren’t awarded because no one bid in three of Nevada’s 17 counties.
Records show 21 new licenses were awarded in Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas, and seven in Reno and Sparks.
Young says bidders were scored on financials, organization, community impact, building plans, quality assurance and taxes.
____
2:30 p.m.
Nevada state officials say more than half the 61 applicants awarded marijuana dispensary licenses last year were first-timers not among the 65 previously granted licenses for medical or recreational pot sales.
The Department of Taxation says in documents posted Friday to its website that nearly three in five conditional licensees chosen from among 462 bidders demonstrated diversity in ownership, officers or board members.
Actual applications are not among what officials say amounts to about 800 pages made public while Gov. Steve Sisolak signed a cannabis licensing transparency law.
Licenses are conditional because applicants may still need approval from local jurisdictions to open in coming months.
Taxation chief Melanie Young defends as “common practice” the use of temporary employees to screen applicants, and the website points to qualifications of the six contractors and an assistant hired for the job.
____
1:10 p.m.
Nevada is making public the names of people and businesses awarded lucrative licenses to sell recreational marijuana in the booming state marketplace.
As Gov. Steve Sisolak signed what he called a transparency law, the state Department of Taxation posted to its website what it says are about 10,400 documents including 8,900 names of applicants for dispensary licenses in Nevada.
Taxation chief Melanie Young says it includes names of those who were awarded licenses and those who were not.
It shows dispensary owners; applicant companies, owners, officers and board members; and scores reached by evaluators.
Young is defending as “common practice” the use of temporary employees to screen 462 applications the state received for 61 new dispensary licenses last year.
The state is facing multiple lawsuits from companies turned down during that process for licenses to open dispensaries in coming months.
____
12:45 p.m.
Nevada’s governor has signed a law to open the books and air the names of those awarded lucrative licenses to sell recreational marijuana.
Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak signed the measure Friday in Carson City.
The new law for the first time makes public the identity of marijuana license applicants and the method the state uses to score and rank bids.
It comes with the state facing multiple lawsuits from companies turned down last year for licenses to open dispensaries in coming months.
The number of dispensaries in Nevada is set to nearly double, with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake and the marijuana marketplace booming.
There are currently 65 marijuana stores statewide.
Medical and recreational pot sales totaled $884 million in the last six months of 2018.
___
9:30 a.m.
Nevada’s governor plans to sign into law a measure to open the books on how the state awards lucrative licenses to sell recreational marijuana.
Gov. Steve Sisolak has scheduled a Friday signing ceremony.
The bill passed by the Legislature tells state tax officials to make public the identity of marijuana license applicants and the method used to score and rank their bids.
The licensing process is facing multiple lawsuits from companies that have been turned down.
They complain the criteria for awarding new dispensary licenses isn’t transparent.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are on the line for licensees, with figures showing the legal marijuana marketplace booming.
Sixty-one dispensaries in Nevada reported almost $425 million in recreational pot sales in the first year after broad marijuana sales began in July 2017.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.