Henderson extends pot moratorium

Henderson residents hoping to purchase recreational marijuana will have to continue to take their business elsewhere for at least a few more months.

The citywide marijuana moratorium was extended for 30 days to give city staff time to present the City Council with regulations at the council’s next meeting.

“I think it’s great that the city is really putting a lot of thought into the ordinance and how they can best serve the city of Henderson,” said Andrew Jolley, who owns the marijuana dispensary The Source. “Once this moves forward, the city will see a lot of benefits, including job growth and tax revenue.”

Back in February, the City Council voted to adopt a six-month moratorium on the sale of recreational marijuana. The ban, which had been set to expire Aug. 7, was extended Tuesday to Sept. 7.

“People can and will get high on anything, it’s better that what they are getting high on is something that they can’t overdose on,” said Henderson resident Bryce Dickinson in an email to City Council. “You should be actively supporting marijuana because it is more safe than drinking or Rx drugs.”

The city has licensed nine medical marijuana facilities, including five dispensaries, two cultivation facilities and two production facilities.

Before conducting any sales, recreational marijuana facilities will have to go through the privileged business license process and conditional use permit process, which include public hearings, city spokesman David Cherry said.

Given those steps, recreational marijuana sales could begin as early as October or November, Cherry said.

It will cost approximately $100,000 for the current operators to sell recreational marijuana, along with an additional 3 percent of the gross revenue every six months, said Michael Cathcart, city business operations manager.

The regulations will be read into title at the Aug. 15 council meeting before being considered by the City Council on Sept. 5.

Public comments on planning, zoning and business licensing for recreational marijuana will take place during the Sept. 5 public hearing at the committee meeting.

Contact Sandy Lopez at slopez@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4686. Follow @JournalismSandy on Twitter.