As recreational marijuana sales boom in Nevada, minorities are getting left out of the industry, activists say.
Marijuana use is nearly equal between white and black Americans. But black Americans are arrested nearly 3.5 times more for marijuana possession, according to the Brookings Institution. Marijuana convictions could prevent someone from obtaining a license to operate a dispensary. An applicant for a medical license would be ineligible if they have been convicted of a violent crime or a drug-related felony, including marijuana. It’s similar for recreational licenses. No one has been denied a license so far because of a past drug-related conviction, according to the Department of Taxation.
But recreational applications are only open to those with medical dispensaries already. Applications from the general public are open starting in November.
Junior Occhipinti is one of the victims of a flu season that has caused 16 deaths in Clark County so far, compared with five last year, according to Southern Nevada Health District data released Friday. Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday the 2017-18 flu season is poised to be the worst since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
A public task force has been created and will be led by Caleb Cage, chief of the Nevada Division of Emergency Management, to improve the state’s oversight of casino emergency response plans.
Two slates of candidates have formed in the CCEA elections, plus two individual candidates running alone. By Amelia Pak-Harvey
The Harbor youth assessment center offers coordinated mental health and other intervention services for children. The Harbor has moved to a new location and expanded. The center will be open 24/7 by mid-February. K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal
“If we stay the course, we have the ability to unlock a ton of economic growth going forward,” said Jonas Peterson, president and chief executive officer of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance. “This is an election year. A lot of decisions are going to be made. … The system is working.” Read more at reviewjournal.com. Nicole Raz Las Vegas Review-Journal.
More than 1,800 students, parents and families celebrated National School Choice Week on Tuesday at UNLV. (Meghin Delaney/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Las Vegas police said they worked with Clark County officials to seize more than 550 animals from a northeast valley home after the animals were found in harsh conditions on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018. Blake Apgar Las Vegas Review-Journal @blakeapgar
Lake Mead, a manmade reservoir, supports a diverse selection of animals, including the emblem of the United States – the bald eagle. A team of wildlife biologists from several agencies, including the National Park Service, fanned out in boats for their annual survey of the national bird. The numbers are put into a national database, which helps monitor the once-imperiled species. (Andrea Cornejo)
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports reporter Mark Anderson recaps UNLV’s victory at Colorado State. Video by Mark Anderson/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Kathy Olivier talks about the Lady Rebels’ win over Colorado State on Jan. 20, 2017, at Cox Pavilion. (Betsy Helfand/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
On December 28, 2016, Gold Butte, an area 100 miles northeast of Las Vegas, became a national monument protecting ancient petroglyphs, sculptured sandstone plateaus, a historic mining town and sacred Native American land.
UNLV graduate students spent a week writing their dissertations during a new writing boot camp hosted by the university. Natalie Bruzda/Las Vegas Review-Journal.
UNLV graduate students spent a week writing their dissertations during a new writing boot camp hosted by the university. Natalie Bruzda/Las Vegas Review-Journal.
It’s been only three days since Nevada’s new opioid prescription law took effect, and doctors already are venting about its impact on their practices. Several doctors said the law makes unreasonable paperwork demands, while the proposed regulations don’t specify the types of conduct that could lead to penalties or even the loss of their medical licenses. Doctors also are worried that the threat of discipline will funnel patients from specialists to primary care physicians to pain management clinics. Others are worried the law and proposed regulations will drive away doctors who are considering moving to Nevada, a concern in a state that faces a severe doctor shortage. Under the law, doctors must limit initial prescriptions to two weeks and perform a patient risk assessment before writing a script. If prescriptions are extended, doctors must enter into a written patient agreement, in which the patient consents to random drug testing and provides a list of other drug use or states where they’ve received a controlled substance prescription.
A new forecast for the Colorado River says the outlook for the coming year is bleak. The National Weather Service predicts the river will flow at about 54% of its average volume from April to July. That’s when the river usually swells with snowmelt from the Rockies and other ranges, but precipitation this winter has been well below normal across the region. There’s still plenty of time for conditions to improve. The river basin tends to accumulate much of its snowpack in January, February and March. Lake Mead ended 2017 almost 2 feet higher than a year ago, as use of Colorado River water by Nevada, Arizona and California hit its lowest level since 1992. The lake can use all the help it can get. Its surface has dropped more than 130 feet since drought started in 2000. Projections for the lake are almost certain to get worse.