Elko County commissioners ban pot dispensaries

ASSOCIATED PRESS

June 7, 2014 - 4:58 pm

ELKO — Elko County commissioners have passed an ordinance banning medical marijuana dispensaries from unincorporated areas of the Northern Nevada county.

Commissioners took the unanimous action Thursday after former Assemblyman John Carpenter told them he now believes marijuana is a dangerous “gateway drug.”

The Elko Daily Free Press reported that Sheriff Jim Pitts and Elko Police Chief Ben Reed also have spoken out against medical marijuana dispensaries. They say the businesses would increase crime and spread their departments thin.

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.

The city of Elko has agreed to a two-year ban on issuing licenses for dispensaries.

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