Can Henderson’s recreational sales moratorium save the day for MMJ patients?

Do you remember when Henderson’s City Council passed a moratorium on recreational cannabis, and everyone got all upset? Well, it turns out the Council may have given MMJ patients the break they’re going to need come July 1.

Not everyone is excited about recreational sales, including some medical patients, who might suffer when their preferred medicines sell out to recreational users.

There’s been a lot of confusion lately about if rec sales would even go off as scheduled. With Judge James Wilson’s decision last week, confirming alcohol distributor’s rights to the first chance at cannabis distribution, there’s still plenty of doubt about recreational cannabis’ immediate future in Nevada.

Will The Dept. of Taxation receive enough applications and issue distribution licenses in time? Are liquor distributors dragging their feet on purpose, hoping to cause financial harm to existing canna-businesses? Most importantly, will the dispensaries run out of product and not be able to restock their shelves?

To be honest, nobody knows what’s going to happen in the days and weeks following recreational rollout. But, one thing’s for sure, MMJ patients are in danger of losing out to rec users, which is why Henderson’s moratorium on rec sales could be a blessing in disguise.

While Las Vegas’ dispensaries run out of product, Henderson dispensaries might not experience that same issue. By waiting to begin recreational sales, Henderson dispensaries won’t see that huge rush that Vegas’ dispensaries will see.

Hopefully.

There’s no guarantee that dispensaries with locations in Vegas won’t shuffle product out of Henderson to meet recreational demand. Or, that cultivators will turn down increased prices to bring their product to Vegas’ dispensaries.

That’s assuming the distribution problem is solved in time.

The main issue that Vegas is up against is the sheer number of tourists that visit our city. With 43 million people coming every year, there’s going to be a gigantic demand for recreational cannabis. Some estimates put the number of rec purchasers at well more than a million people in July alone!

Let’s just hope that these growing pains don’t last too long.