CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - A former Nevada Supreme Court justice and a former chief gambling regulator were named Friday as the first two members of a new state marijuana industry oversight panel.
Gov. Steve Sisolak announced that retired Justice Michael Douglas will chair the Cannabis Compliance Board, and retired Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman Dennis Neilander will help create the five-member enforcement body.
The Democratic governor pushed for creation of the board last year. He compares its structure and role to the state Gaming Control system.
The state Department of Taxation headed licensing and opening of medical marijuana dispensaries and kept that role for recreational sales after voters in 2016 approved commercial pot shops.
The process spurred criticism and legal challenges from companies that lost bids for lucrative licenses, changes in personnel at the tax department and a stalemate on issues including the opening of marijuana consumption lounges. Retail sales began in July 2017.
Douglas, Neilander and cannabis board executive director Tyler Klimas will begin “regulatory groundwork” following the appointment of three more board members in coming weeks, Sisolak said.
Both appointments are through July 2021.
Douglas was appointed the first African American on the state Supreme Court in 2004. He retired last year.
Neilander is an attorney who spent 10 years heading the Gaming Control Board, including about 500 employees and a $42 million budget.
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