Thread: Las Vegas heavy hitters vie for medical marijuana licenses

Posted May 3, 2014 - 5:15pm Las Vegas heavy hitters vie for medical marijuana licenses


Sig Rogich, president of The Rogich Communications Group Bill Hughes | Business Press
JEFF SCHEID/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL Sig Rogich discuss the DesertXpress high-speed train during a Review-Journal editorial board meeting on Tuesday, June 24, 2009. The proposed $3.5 to $4 billion DesertXpress needs private funding, permission to cross a national park and to convince would-be Las Vegas visitors to ditch their cars in Victorville, Calif., and finish their trip by train.
Terry Fator, from left, Taylor Makakoa, and Sig Rogich








By DAVID FERRARA and JAMES DeHAVEN
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL


At the height of the “Just Say No” campaign in the war on drugs, Sig Rogich was a senior adviser to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.


Now Rogich, who runs one of the most powerful public relations firms in Nevada, is part of a team looking to snag one of Clark County’s medical marijuana licenses.

“It was 30 years ago, a lot has changed,” Rogich, 69, said of his involvement with marijuana’s staunch political opponents. “They’re legalizing it in 22 states now.”

Twelve years ago, when Nevada voters considered outright legalization of pot, Rogich said that with “the most liberal drug laws in the union, Las Vegas would become an ongoing Jay Leno joke.”
Eight years ago, amid another marijuana ballot initiative, Rogich’s firm managed an anti-drug campaign.

Rogich called himself “a very, very, minority small owner” in Deep Roots Medical LLC. His partners include former casino owner Gary Primm and his son Roger Primm. Rogich’s wife, Lori, is listed as the registered agent for the company, according to the Nevada secretary of state.

Rogich said he never opposed medical marijuana use on principle, but wouldn’t say whether he currently approves of recreational use. He acknowledges that he used the drug when he was a University of Nevada, Reno student in the 1960s, though he didn’t volunteer how often.
Rogich is one of a score of political heavyweights jostling for Nevada’s limited medical marijuana business licenses.

In a review of the 109 companies that pitched 206 proposals for medical marijuana licenses in Clark County last week, the Review-Journal found not only deep political clout, but ties to the casino industry, real estate moguls and several prominent doctors in the Las Vegas Valley.

A state law passed last year allows as many as 40 medical marijuana business licenses in Clark County for dispensaries, production facilities, cultivation warehouses and product testing labs. Those licenses can mean big profits in a new and apparently growing industry.

In a study of legal marijuana sales across the country, San Francisco-based The Arcview Group projected the Nevada market to be worth $9.6 million in 2014.

And if Nevada follows in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington state in allowing recreational marijuana use, that market could be huge.

“There’s no way to calculate exactly what it’ll be worth, but it’ll be worth a helluva lot of money,” said state Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, who authored the medical marijuana bill in the 2013 session.
GETTING IN EARLY

James Bixler, retiring Eighth District Court judge, formed Greenleaf Dispensaries Inc. with two brothers-in-law and his friend, attorney Robert Walsh, and applied for dispensary and cultivation licenses.

He said he thought the application process would be like a lottery.

But the forms submitted last week marked just the first step in a lengthy application process. On June 5, the commission has scheduled hearings for special-use applications from companies that meet requirements, which include presenting copies of a deed or lease for facilities and passing an FBI background check.

From that point, applicants must submit documentation to the state for provisional certification. With state certification, applicants then apply for a county business license.

The judge, who will leave the bench in January, said he reviewed his caseload as soon as he decided he wanted to enter the cannabis business. He plans to recuse himself from one case that involves medical marijuana.

If granted a license, Bixler said he intends to donate some profits to drug education and treatment programs.

“Our old War on Drugs is a farce,” the judge said. “We’re not losing. We’ve lost. We need to step back and take a whole new approach. And it needs to start with education. We need to start treating drug addicts like drug addicts instead of like prisoners.”

Dozens of the applications submitted last week came from shell corporations managed by limited liability companies, which are not required to list individual officers under Nevada law. Clark County requires marijuana business applicants to disclose names of all owners, and officials are expected to release those names to the public.

Other notable Nevada public figures getting involved in the new marijuana trade include:

■ Jay Brown, a veteran Las Vegas lobbyist, political insider and steward of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s family trust. Three medical pot companies registered by his office are shell corporations with no individual officers registered with the Nevada secretary of state. Brown did not respond to requests for comment.

Brown is only one friend of Nevada’s senior senators who wants to get in on the ground floor.

In a column titled “Preserving my marriage,” Las Vegas Sun Publisher and longtime Reid political ally Brian Greenspun recently wrote that he would bid for a marijuana license. He did not reveal the name of the company. However, license applicant Waveseer LLC was registered by The Reid Firm, a law firm managed by Harry Reid’s son, Key Reid, who is a former general counsel for the Greenspun Corp.

Among the managers of Waveseer is Chicagoan David Rosen, former finance director for Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has been a staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton.

Rosen’s firm, The Competence Group, credits him most recently with getting Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn elected. Illinois legalized medical marijuana last year.

■ Former Las Vegas Assemblyman Chad Christensen, who ran for the U.S. Senate as a Republican in 2010, teamed up with Daniel Brasov, who has 25 years of experience in the banking industry, to form Fidelis Holdings. The company applied for licenses to operate a marijuana dispensary and a cultivation facility.

A devout Mormon, Christensen said he first became a supporter of medical marijuana about two years ago, when his wife’s lifelong best friend was prescribed too much Percocet after a surgery, and her heart stopped. “It definitely opened my mind to the fact that these prescription narcotics in some cases may not be the only route,” Christensen said.

Christensen said he plans to bring in medical marijuana “heavyweights” from Colorado to help run the company if granted a license, considering he has no experience in cultivation and sales.

Despite recent guidelines from the Treasury and Justice departments, Banks have shied away from the medical marijuana business because the drug is still illegal under federal law. So Christensen said he and Brasov had “an application that will address banking” issues, but he declined to elaborate.

■ Former Planet Hollywood Resort President Bill Feather formed Doctors’ Dispensary LLC with Oscar B. Goodman Jr., an oncologist and son of Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and former Mayor Oscar Goodman.

The company’s lawyer, Raffi Nahabedian, called the younger Goodman a consultant, and said Feather wanted to emphasize the medicinal advantages of marijuana.

“This can’t be a money thing,” Nahabedian said. “This has to be real, and the only way it’s real is if it’s part of the medical establishment.”

Doctors’ Dispensary also lists physician Michael Resnick as a manager, and Nahabedian said more physicians would join its advisory board.

■ Nick Spritos, director of the Women’s Cancer Center of Nevada, and Geoffrey Hsieh, another oncologist at the center, applied for a license under the company Nevada Medical Marijuana Dispensary, Inc. Neither doctor could be reached for comment.

■ Lobbyist and former Nevada legislator David Goldwater created Inyo Fine Cannabis Dispensary, Sweet Goldy LLC and Sweet Goldy Production LLC. He teamed up with friend Chris Olsen and Greta Carter, president of the Cannabis Training Institute in Seattle, to vie for cultivation, production and dispensary licenses.

In a telephone interview last week, Goldwater gave his pitch: “We’re a group that wants to invest and manage this ourselves,” touting their vested interest in the operation “to literally grow something that helps people.”

■ Integral Associates, listed a manager as Unified LLC, which is run by Camille Ruvo, wife of Larry Ruvo, philanthropist and senior managing director of Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada, the largest distributor of alcoholic beverages on the Strip.

■ Wellness Connection of Nevada LLC lists Tom Mikovits as a manager. He works as a marketing executive for Real Gaming, the online poker site that South Point launched earlier this year. He declined to discuss the marijuana application.

“It’s just too early in the process to even talk about anything,” he said.

Contact reporter David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-and-west/las-vegas-heavy-hitters-vie-medical-marijuana-licenses

Posted June 6, 2014 - 8:32am Updated June 6, 2014 - 8:22pm Clark County picks 18 applicants for medical marijuana dispensaries



Clark County Commissioners listen during final day of of presentations from applicants seeking medical marijuana dispensary permits at Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, on Friday, June 6, 2014. The county is scheduled to pick 18 applicants to operate dispensaries. (Jeff Scheid/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Buy Photo Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolakl, right, listens during final day of presentations from applicants seeking medical marijuana dispensary permits at the Clark County Government Center on Friday, June 6, 2014. The county is scheduled to pick 18 applicants to operate dispensaries. (Jeff Scheid/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Buy Photo Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani listens during final day of presentations from applicants seeking medical marijuana dispensary permits at the Clark County Government Center on Friday, June 6, 2014. The county is scheduled to pick 18 applicants to operate dispensaries. (Jeff Scheid/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Buy Photo Clark County Commissioners listen during final day of presentations from applicants seeking medical marijuana dispensary permits at Clark County Government Center on Friday, June 6, 2014. The county is scheduled to pick 18 applicants to operate dispensaries. (Jeff Scheid/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Buy Photo Brian Greenspun, center, publisher of the Las Vegas Sun and owner and applicant for medical marijuana dispensary license, and lobbyist Jay Brown, during final day of of presentations from applicants seeking medical marijuana dispensary permits at Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, on Friday, June 6, 2014. The the county is scheduled to pick 18 applicants to operate dispensaries. (Jeff Scheid/Las Vegas Review-Journal)









Check out the map showing the sites for the medical marijuana business applicants.



By BEN BOTKIN
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL


They came from near and far. Las Vegas Valley developers, medical marijuana industry veterans from Colorado and area doctors were among them.
The odds were against them. Seventy-nine applicants — down from 81 — aiming for part of the region’s next industry: medical marijuana. And Clark County had just 18 slots for medical marijuana dispensaries.
There were familiar names among the winners that county commissioners picked Friday at the end of a three-day hearing. Longtime developer and gaming executive Randy Black, who retired last year as chief operating officer at Mesquite Gaming, for example, hopes to open a dispensary in Laughlin. He was the only applicant there.
Another is Nick Spirtos, a well-known doctor with the Women’s Cancer Center of Nevada who has ties to University Medical Center.
Still another is David Goldwater, a former Nevada assemblyman who is involved the Inyo Fine Cannabis Dispensary.
The commission’s decisions came during a three-hour process that entailed filling out tally sheets and narrowing the list of applicants in multiple rounds of voting. Two applicants dropped out.
The new industry, which many feel will be lucrative, is months away from becoming a reality, and applicants still must go through state approval and set up shop.
Medical marijuana has gained a reputation for relieving pain and nausea from chronic ailments, including cancer, and even preventing seizures. The Nevada Legislature in 2013 approved a bill allowing the dispensaries and related facilities to make sure people who needed marijuana could obtain it without breaking state law.
The medical marijuana industry is also bringing jobs and a boost to the economy at a time when the valley is still climbing out of a deep recession.
Commissioners first spent a little more than two hours on Friday hearing from applicants seeking to operate dispensaries, which rounded up the public hearing part of the process. They heard from 14 applicants for sites in the Spring Valley Township.
Applicants are spread throughout the Las Vegas Valley, with one in Laughlin.
In Winchester Township, commissioners picked Inyo Fine Cannabis Dispensary, 2520 Maryland Parkway.
Two dispensaries that were picked are in Enterprise Township:
—CW Nevada, LLC, 6540 Blue Diamond Road
—Euphoria Wellness, LLC, 7780 Jones Blvd.
Sunrise Manor Township’s dispensary is Just Quality LLC, 4235 Artic Springs Ave.
The most competitive area was Paradise Township, which had 48 applicants. Seven of them were picked:
—The MedMen of Nevada, 4380 Boulder Highway
—The Clinic Nevada D1, LLC, 4070 Arville St.
—Nevada Medical Marijuana Dispensary Inc., 4240 W. Flamingo Ave.
—Desert Inn Enterprises Inc., 2900 E. Desert Inn Road
—Nevada Holistic Medicine, LLC, 4660 Decatur Blvd.
—TGIG , LLC, 4633 Paradise Road
—Fidelis Holdings LLC, 3325 Pepper Lane.
In Spring Valley Township, five applicants were selected:
—GB Sciences Nevada LLC, 4850 Fort Apache Road
—LVMC LLC, 6332 S. Rainbow Blvd.
—Integral Associates LLC, 5765 W. Tropicana Ave.
—Gravitas Nevada Ltd., 7885 Sahara Ave.
—Nevada Organic Remedies LLC, 6877 Sahara Ave.
In Whitney Township, the dispensary is Global Harmony LLC, 5630 Stephanie St.
Laughlin’s chosen dispensary is Clear River LLC, 1975 Casino Drive. That was the only applicant with a Laughlin location.
Winners had relieved smiles after the three-day hearing wrapped up.
CW Nevada plans to offer its clients Charlotte’s Web, a specialized form of medical marijuana that helps people with seizure disorders.
“We’re very thankful and we feel very fortunate to be this far in the process at this time,” said Brian Padgett, a Las Vegas attorney and a part-owner in CW Nevada.
“It was nerve-wracking because there’s a lot of very well-qualified groups, so you’re picking from a very big candidate pool, a worthy candidate pool.”
County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani said: “I think we did a very good job of laying how to approach it as fairly as you possibly can.”
Giunchigliani had tried unsuccessfully to persuade her colleagues to qualify more than 18 companies for permits.
Eighteen dispensaries is the limit in unincorporated Clark County, but those the county tapped Friday still need to pass through the state’s vetting process.
Giunchigliani said having a wider pool eligible for approval from the county and the state would have been a good move to keep the county from being potentially locked out and having fewer dispensaries due to a self-imposed limit.
She said the applicant pool was impressive, but noted that she would have liked to see more dispensaries in the region’s inner urban core.
In about two weeks, commissioners will review and approve permits for cultivation facilities, laboratories and production facilities.
In a procedural move, commissioners “trailed” the 61 applicants who didn’t make the final 18. That allows the county to bring the applicants forward for consideration if cities in Clark County do not move forward with approval of medical marijuana dispensaries allowed within their boundaries.
Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-405-9781. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1.





Posted June 6, 2014 - 2:28pm Updated June 7, 2014 - 8:04am Las Vegas will begin taking applications for pot dispensaries July 8


(AP File Photo/Ed Andrieski)





By JANE ANN MORRISON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

The window of opportunity to submit applications for medical marijuana establishments in the city of Las Vegas runs from July 8 to July 17.
The Las Vegas Department of Planning’s office at 333 North Rancho Drive will accept the land use and licensing applications during that 10-day period.

Last call is 3 p.m. July 17.

Don’t be hasty or slow.

Applications received before or after the 10-day application period will not be accepted.

Applications are expected to be available on the city’s website June 9.

The department will begin taking appointments for pre-application workshops the week of June 9. Attendance at one of the workshops will be required for anyone wishing to submit an application. The workshops will cover the submission requirements, and applicants will be given checklists.
Information on the pre-application workshops, including the dates and times of the workshops and the process for making appointments, as well as the applications, will be posted on the city’s medical marijuana information webpage next week at www.lasvegasnevada* .gov/medicalmarijuana.
The Las Vegas City Council adopted land use regulations for medical marijuana establishments at the May 21 meeting.

The regulations require at least one dispensary for each sector of the city (Centennial Hills, Southeast and Southwest). The council also expanded the areas where dispensaries can be located to include certain commercial districts and industrial districts. Dispensaries will be allowed on Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street east of Eighth Street.

Clark County has allocated 12 dispensary licenses to the city of Las Vegas.

Contact Jane Ann Morrison at jmorrison@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0275.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/politic...nsaries-july-8

Las Vegas Hands Out First 18 Dispensary Licenses


By Barry Bard on June 11, 2014

After officially green lighting its new medical marijuana plan in April, the state of Nevada has begun to issue its first dispensary licenses. Those first 18 licenses were handed out to businesses that will open up shop in Clark County, where Las Vegas conveniently resides.


These prospective pot shops won’t be in business until the rules go into effect next year, but they can now begin fine-tuning their business plans, creating brands, hiring staff, and soon begin to grow weed for Nevada’s medical marijuana patients. Here are those 18 businesses sorted by their county locations :

Applicants are spread throughout the Las Vegas Valley, with one in Laughlin.
In Winchester Township, commissioners picked Inyo Fine Cannabis Dispensary, 2520 Maryland Parkway.
Two dispensaries that were picked are in Enterprise Township:
—CW Nevada, LLC, 6540 Blue Diamond Road
—Euphoria Wellness, LLC, 7780 Jones Blvd.
Sunrise Manor Township’s dispensary is Just Quality LLC, 4235 Artic Springs Ave.
The most competitive area was Paradise Township, which had 48 applicants. Seven of them were picked:
—The MedMen of Nevada, 4380 Boulder Highway
—The Clinic Nevada D1, LLC, 4070 Arville St.
—Nevada Medical Marijuana Dispensary Inc., 4240 W. Flamingo Ave.
—Desert Inn Enterprises Inc., 2900 E. Desert Inn Road
—Nevada Holistic Medicine, LLC, 4660 Decatur Blvd.
—TGIG , LLC, 4633 Paradise Road
—Fidelis Holdings LLC, 3325 Pepper Lane.
In Spring Valley Township, five applicants were selected:
—GB Sciences Nevada LLC, 4850 Fort Apache Road
—LVMC LLC, 6332 S. Rainbow Blvd.
—Integral Associates LLC, 5765 W. Tropicana Ave.
—Gravitas Nevada Ltd., 7885 Sahara Ave.
—Nevada Organic Remedies LLC, 6877 Sahara Ave.
In Whitney Township, the dispensary is Global Harmony LLC, 5630 Stephanie St.
Laughlin’s chosen dispensary is Clear River LLC, 1975 Casino Drive. [Review Journal]

The city of Henderson will reportedly soon follow suit and issue their own regulations and licenses–meaning this list could expand.
This map, provided by the state of Nevada, shows exactly where the dispensaries will be located, and from the looks of it, none are located on the strip, making it more difficult for tourists without medical marijuana cards to find them. However, if you’re an out of state medical marijuana patient visiting Nevada, you can use your medical card there to legally purchase medicinal marijuana.
While a far cry from Colorado’s legal weed allure, Las Vegas is always flush with tourists in seek of escapism, so one can expect those from medical marijuana states to take advantage of these new facilities. But this is a huge stepping stone: the state of Nevada could (and should) go fully legal in 2016, which would quickly turn Sin City into an even more desirable getaway.
What happens to the current businesses. Out of state patients









http://marijuana.com/news/2014/06/las-vegas-hands-out-first-18-dispensary-licenses/

Nevada Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Dispensary Bill Into Law

By Thomas H. Clarke June 13, 2013 Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page Send by Email
CARSON CITY, NV — Thirteen years after 65 percent of Nevada voters approved the medical use of marijuana, patients will soon have legal access to their medicine as Republican Governor Brian Sandoval signed Senate Bill 374 into law Wednesday evening.
The bill, introduced by Las Vegas Democrat Senator Tick Segerblom, establishes the framework for medical marijuana dispensaries to open state wide, while allowing patients to continue growing their own marijuana until 2016.
“We applaud Gov. Sandoval and the legislature for their leadership and commend those law enforcement organizations that expressed support for this much-needed legislation,” said Karen O’Keefe, Director of State Policies for the Marijuana Policy Project. “It will make Nevada a safer and healthier place not only for medical marijuana patients, but for the entire community.
The bill was passed in the final days of the legislative session, first in the Senate and then the Assembly, following an emergency declaration by lawmakers to push the bill through in the final weekend.
The law will allow up to 40 medical marijuana dispensaries in the Las Vegas area, 20 in Reno, two in Carson City and one in each of Nevada’s remaining rural counties. In addition to standard sales taxes, medical marijuana will be subject to excise taxes of 2% on wholesale sales and 2% on retail sales.
During debates on the bill, some lawmakers expressed that while they do not endorse the use of medical marijuana, which was approved by Nevada voters in 2000, they are supporting the bill because it is their responsibility as lawmakers to ensure that the will of the voters and the intentions of the law are upheld.
“It doesn’t matter what I think about the wisdom of using marijuana,” said Sen. Mark Hutchison (R-Las Vegas), a conservative who has voted against marijuana bills in the past, but was a primary sponsor of the dispensary bill. “If you believe in the rule of law, we cannot pick which constitutional rights we should support.”
People with medical marijuana authorization in Nevada have been stuck in a legal grey area, and many are confused as to whether they have purchased marijuana illegally.
When sixty-five percent of voters approved Question 9 , legalizing medical marijuana in the state, there was no provision in the bill authorizing medical marijuana dispensaries. Patients or their caregivers are allowed to grow up to seven plants and possess up to an ounce of marijuana.
But because obtaining marijuana seeds is illegal, as well as difficult growing conditions in the Nevada desert, patients and lawmakers alike agree that access to medical marijuana is limited for the states 3,645 registered cardholders.
The majority of patients registered with the Nevada state medical medical marijuana program are between the ages of 55 and 64.
“Let’s go back and do what we should have done 10 years ago,” Segerblom said earlier this year. “It’s something that it’s time has come. Colorado has it. Arizona has it. California has it. Oregon has it. Washington State has it. We’re surrounded by it.”
“We’re going to hear lots of reasons why we can’t do it, we shouldn’t do it, but to me, if Arizona, which is the most conservative state in the country, can do it, then Nevada can do it,” Segerblom added.
Under Sen. Segerblom’s proposal, the dispensaries will be strictly regulated with oversight by the Department of Health and Human Services. Marijuana will be required to be grown in an enclosed, locked facility. Also among the requirements will be 24-hour video surveillance at farms and dispensaries.
The bill also establishes the maximum fees which may be charged by the Health Division for registration certificates, and creates basic requirements for operating a dispensary, while allowing the Health Division to adopt any necessary regulations for the program.
The measure establishes the framework to make pot available to medical marijuana card holders, and imposes fees and requirements for growers, processors and dispensaries. The revenue created will fund the regulation and oversight of the dispensaries, with any remaining revenue will be funneled to education.
The bill also increases the amounts of usable marijuana and live marijuana plants that a holder of a registry identification card and his or her designated primary caregiver are allowed to possess at any one time, matching the amounts allowed under the laws of the State of Arizona.
The bill also adds in safeguards against defrauding the medical marijuana program in Nevada, adding a stipulation to the law that makes forging a medical marijuana registration card a criminal offense, punishable by up to four years in prison.
Last year, a Las Vegas district court judge declared Nevada’s medical marijuana law unconstitutional, while criticizing the state’s lack of a defined distribution system for the medicine.
In his decision, which is currently awaiting an appeal hearing by the state’s Supreme Court, Judge Donald Mosley was highly critical of the state’s medical marijuana law, saying it falls short in providing a “realistic manner” in which qualified patients can obtain their medicine.
Brian Sandoval , Carson City , Las Vegas , Mark Hutchison , medical marijuana dispensaries , NV SB 374 , Reno , SB 374 , SB374 , Senate Bill 374 , Tick Segerblom
by Thomas H. Clarke

http://www.thedailychronic.net/2013/...bill-into-law/

18 Clark County pot dispensary licenses approved





The Associated Press

LAS VEGAS -- Clark County commissioners have approved licenses for all 18 medical marijuana dispensaries available in its jurisdiction.
The 18 businesses approved Friday were whittled down from a field of 79 applicants during three days of public hearings.
The lucrative potential of the medical marijuana industry prompted a flood of applications from prominent members of Las Vegas' political, medical, legal and real estate fields.
The Las Vegas Sun reports license winners include businesses associated with former state lawmakers Richard Perkins, David Goldwater, Mark James and Chad Christensen.
The 18 businesses will be located in unincorporated areas of the state's most populous county, which is centered around Las Vegas.
Nevada legalized medical marijuana in 2000, but the only way for patients to obtain the drug was to grow it.
Last year, state lawmakers approved and Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a law that cleared the way for dispensaries.


Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/06/0...#storylink=cpy


Betcha nuts to donuts the Reid's are in that group..Harry just sold his Searchlight land to a mining company and is moving to Las Vegas to be closer to his Sons!!! The good thing is lately we have very little chem trails here!!!!!!

Details of winning applicants for medical pot licenses


Posted: Jun 06, 2014 4:52 PM PDT Updated: Jun 06, 2014 5:25 PM PDT By Steve Kanigher, I-Team Reporter - email


LAS VEGAS -- The Clark County Commission Friday awarded 18 medical marijuana dispensary permits to applicants in what was a highly competitive process that included former politicians and prominent business leaders. Here is a summary of the winning applicants pending state approval:

Clear River LLC -- Robert R. Black of Las Vegas is 92 percent owner and Arbko LLC is 8 percent owner.

CW Nevada LLC -- Ownership breakdown is Brian Padgett, 35 percent, Paul Robarts, 25 percent, Timothy Smits Van Oyen, 20 percent, Jennifer Lazovich, 15 percent, and Richard and Hank Gordon, 2.5 percent each. All six are from Las Vegas. Padgett is a Las Vegas attorney specializing in condemnation cases and VCan Oyen is a real estate agent.

Desert Inn Enterprises Inc. -- 51 percent is owned by Endalkachew Mersha of Las Vegas and 49 percent is owned by Jonathan Coombs and Kurt Merschman of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Jon-Paul Holyoak of Paradise Valley, Ariz. Mersha is a Las Vegas dentist.

Euphoria Wellness LLC -- Euphoria ownership includes Deanne Lamb of Las Vegas, 33 percent, Michael Didonato of Henderson, 20.615 percent, Stan Wasserkrug of Henderson, 10.975 percent, Susan Wasserkrug of Henderson, 10.31 percent, Joseph Lamarca of Las Vegas, 7.54 percent, Bonnie Chu of Las Vegas, 6.8 percent, Larry Doyle of Las Vegas, 6.47 percent, Tyler Stratford of Boulder, Colo., 3.325 percent, Kathleen Hessling of Henderson, 0.205 percent, Roger Doyle of Glastonbury, Conn., 0.13 percent, and David Lamarca of Baltimore, 0.13 percent.

Fidelis Holdings LLC -- Owners include former Assemblyman Chad Christensen.

GB Sciences Nevada LLC -- 55 percent of the company is owned by Craig Ellins of Las Vegas, Bruce Raben of Santa Monica, Calif., and Steve Weldon of Orlando, Fla. There are also 8 percent shares held by James Hammer, Sarah Familian, John Beuchat, Jane Tobman Moore and James Meservey of Las Vegas, and a 5 percent share owned by Michael Viellion of Las Vegas. Ellins is CEO of GrowBLOX Sciences Inc., which developed an agricultural chamber intended to provide a consistent environment for the growth of marijuana plants.

Global Harmony LLC -- One managing member, Jonathan Ogden of Henderson, was a former player for the National Football League's Baltimore Ravens and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His wife Kema is also a managing member.

Gravitas Nevada Ltd. -- One managing member, Rich Abajian, is general manager of Findlay Toyota and chief operating officer of the Findlay Automotive Group. Another managing member is David Kallas, Findlay Toyota’s director of government affairs and labor relations and former executive director of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association.

Integral Associates LLC -- One manager, Armen Yemenidjian, is vice president of casino operations at the Tropicana resort. Another manager is Camille Ruvo, co-founder of the Keep Memory Alive nonprofit organization that supports the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health downtown. She is the wife of Southern Wines and Spirits partner Larry Ruvo.

Inyo Fine Cannabis Dispensary LLC -- Chris Olsen and David Goldwater of Las Vegas each own 40 percent, Greta Carter of Seattle owns 10 percent, and Frank Reed of Las Vegas and James Potter of Hayden, Idaho, each own 5 percent. Carter is founder of the Cannabis Training Institute and executive director of the Care Wellness Center in Seattle, which performs medical marijuana authorizations. Goldwater is a legislative lobbyist and former Democratic assemblyman.

Just Quality LLC -- Ownership includes Norma Patricia Memo of Henderson, 29 percent, Ronald Allen Memo of Henderson, 22 percent, Vi Bich Khong of Garden Grove, Calif., 22 percent, Randy Robert Rhoden and Matthew Alexander Rhoden of Huntington Beach, Calif., 11 percent each, and William Douglas Wellman of Henderson 5 percent. Ronald Memo is a Realtor.

LVMC LLC -- Las Vegas ownership includes Mark James, 45 percent, Galina Slinin, 20 percent, D. Neal Tomlinson, 15 percent, Douglas M. Kuperman, 10 percent, Craig J. O’Loughlin and Darci Buswell, 5 percent each. James served as both a state senator and Clark County commissioner and Tomlinson is an attorney.

Nevada Holistic Medicine LLC -- 22 percent shares are held by Scott Sibley, Richard Crighton, Chris Shelton and Ryan Welch of Las Vegas, 2.667 percent shares are held by Elaine Sanchez, Luis Felipe Valera and Otto Merida of Las Vegas and Richard Perkins of Henderson, and 1.332 percent is owned by Bruce Herishfeld of Las Vegas. Perkins is a former Assembly speaker and Henderson police chief, Merida is president and CEO of the Latin Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas, and Sibley is another former assemblyman.

Nevada Organic Remedies LLC -- Las Vegas ownership includes Andrew M. Jolley, 40 percent, Stephen J. Byrne, 30 percent, Darren Petersen, Patrick G. Byrne and Harvest Dispensary, Cultivation and Kitchen Consultants LLC, 10 percent each. Byrne and Jolley are real estate investors and partners in EquiSource, which focuses on distressed properties.

Nevada Medical Marijuana Dispensary Inc. -- Owners include Dr. Nick Spirtos, co-director of the Women’s Cancer Center of Nevada, and fellow doctors Geoffrey Hsieh, Rachakonda Prabhu, Sean Dempsey and Nicholas Thanos. Hsieh is a Las Vegas OB/GYN, Dempsey is an anesthesiologist, Prabhu is an internal medicine specialist, and Thanos is a gynecologist. All five each own 20 percent of the company.

TGIG LLC -- Las Vegas ownership includes Demetrious N. Kouretas, 48.1 percent, Scott Bogatz, 17.748 percent, Nycole Cummings, 9.2 percent, Jonathan Fine, 8 percent, Brian Hyun, 6.9 percent, Sierra Heckman, 5.552 percent, Carla J. Snyder, 1.5 percent, Stanley and Christine Brzyszko, 0.75 percent each, and John and Pamela Kelly, 0.75 percent each. Fine is owner of Fine Entertainment Management and a member of the family that publishes the Las Vegas Sun.

The Clinic Nevada D1 LLC -- The law firm Cooper Levenson is the registered agent for the company.

The MedMen of Nevada LLC -- Managing members Adam Bierman of Marina Del Ray, Calif., and Andrew Modlin of West Hollywood, Calif., founded The Medman, a southern California consulting agency for the medical marijuana industry. Fellow managing member Kathy Gillespie owns A&B Printing in Las Vegas. Ownership includes 14 percent each for Bierman and Modin, 9.625 percent each for Gillespie and Barbara L. Allen of Henderson, 9.375 percent each for Carrie and Cary Richardson of Gardnerville, 9 percent each for James Green of Henderson and David Thomas of Las Vegas, 6 percent each for Duke Fu and Dawn McAuliffe of Las Vegas, 3 percent for Dominick Prudenti of Henderson, and 1 percent for Ted Green of Lee’s Summit, Mo.

http://www.8newsnow.com/story/257165...l-pot-licenses

Reno City Council takes action to nullify federal marijuana prohibition


RENO, Nev. – Last week, the Reno city council voted to lift a moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries, effectively nullifying the blanket federal prohibition on cannabis.

Nevada recognized medical marijuana as a legal means of treatment in November 2000. Last year, a bill was signed into law to authorize up to 66 more medical marijuana dispensaries in the state. This bill required local cities and municipalities to regulate these dispensaries by zoning, appearance, and land use. The city of Reno opted to prohibit dispensaries all together.


The council approved an ordinance lifting the moratorium on June 11 by a 4-1 vote.

The federal government prohibits marijuana for any use, but lacks any constitutional authority for the ban. Doubt this? As yourself why it required a constitutional amendment to institute a similar national ban on alcohol. But states and localities like Reno have pushed back against the ban, legalizing marijuana for medical use – or in the case of Washington and Colorado, recreational purposes as well. Authorizing locally what the feds attempt to prohibit nationally creates an effective nullification of unconstitutional federal prohibition on marijuana businesses. The federal law has essentially become unenforceable.

While the actions of leaders in one relatively small city in a single state may seem insignificant, each one adds to the wave of momentum, ultimately flowing over unwarranted federal power. What started has a movement in a single state (California) in the mid-90s has grown into a tidal wave that the feds can no longer effectively resist. Last week, Reno took its place within a much bigger picture. Each effort matters and each effort adds to the effect.


http://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com...aily+Digest%29