Nevada is running out of weed and stoners want a 'state of emergency' declared

  • 12/07/2017
There was a surge of demand for marijuana when it went on sale in Nevada this month.
There was a surge of demand for marijuana when it went on sale in Nevada this month. Photo credit: Getty

Less than two weeks after legal marijuana went on sale in Nevada, stocks are running dangerously low and people are calling for a state of emergency to be declared.

On July 1st, licensed retailers began selling marijuana and they were hit with unprecedented demand from customers. The retailers need more marijuana on shelves, but a shortage of distributors is causing a breakdown in the supply chain.

Now there are calls for a state of emergency to be declared so that officials can quickly license more distributors to deliver the goods, and end the shortage.           

Currently alcohol distributors are exclusively licensed to transport marijuana to retailers in Nevada, but there are calls for the state to consider a larger pool of applicants.

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval will decide on Thursday whether or not to declare a state of emergency, NBC reports

The state is set to earn millions from recreational marijuana sales, with an estimated 40,000 transactions taking place in the first week it went on sale.

The Nevada Dispensary Association estimated that in the first three days of sales, dispensaries made $3 million and the state collected $1 million in tax revenue.

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