Las Vegas Criminal Defense Blog

In November six people were indicted for 16 felony counts following a raid on a medical marijuana co-op. The defense has asked Clark County District Court to dismiss the charges because the defendants claim they never sold marijuana and merely distributed it for donations. The judge said he will review the grand jury documents further before deciding whether to dismiss the case.

Under Nevada medical marijuana law, if a physician determines that a Nevada resident is suffering from a disease protected under the Nevada Medical Marijuana Program, that person may apply for a medical marijuana card. The protected diseases include AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and some other chronic conditions. The card is good for one year and allows the holder to possess up to an ounce of marijuana.

Nevada medical marijuana law allows cardholders to designate one primary caregiver to administer the medical marijuana. This person has to be at least 18 and approved by the cardholder's physician. However, the caregiver cannot also be a user of medical marijuana.

For more on this story, go to: http://www.ktnv.com/news/local/129975998.html

For more on Nevada medical marijuana law, go to our informational video :

Various court cases are pending concerning Nevada medical marijuana laws. Although NRS 453A permits medical marijuana cardholders to possess small amounts of marijuana, state and federal law still prohibits the sale of it. Therefore both patients and sellers risk arrest if they try to buy or sell marijuana.

Nevada medical marijuana laws permit certain patient to have and use marijuana for medicinal purposes. However they must first go through a stringent applicant process with the backing of a licensed physician. And then they may possess only small amounts of marijuana at a time or risk arrest.

Nevada medical marijuana laws are geared for patients suffering from AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, or any condition that causes muscle spasms, seizures, severe nausea, severe pain, or cachexia. Each patient may have one designated caregiver to help administer the marijuana. A medical marijuana card is good for only one year, and then the patient needs to reapply.

To learn more about this story go to: http://www.lvrj.com/news/patients-asking-courts-for-way-out-of-medical-marijuana-bind-129208148.html?ref=148

Learn about Nevada medical marijuana laws including medical marijuana cards by watching our video:

Last month medical marijuana personality Dr. Reefer pleaded guilty to violating Nevada medical marijuana laws for selling pot through his consulting business. The plea was part of a deal to spare other members of his family from going to prison. He's scheduled to be sentence in October.

Nevada medical marijuana laws permit some patients to use pot for medicinal purposes if they apply and are accepted into the state medical marijuana program. They need to be suffering from either AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, or another severe condition. They need a doctor to recommend them for the program.

A Nevada medical marijuana card is good for one year, and then the patient needs to reapply. Since it's illegal to buy or sell pot, patients usually receive pot from patient support groups or grow the marijuana themselves. However the state has strict rules limiting the amount of marijuana patients can have at one time.

To read more about this story go to: http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2011/07/dr_reefer_accepts_plea_bargain_quits_marijuana_bus.php

To learn about Nevada medical marijuana laws, go to our informational video:

A few weeks ago, our Las Vegas criminal defense lawyers told you about Nevada Senate Bill 262. This bill would have greatly increased penalties for the cultivation of marijuana, even if the suspect was enrolled in the Nevada Medical Marijuana Program. Fortunately, the bill just recently died in the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

The Nevada Medical Marijuana Program allows sick Nevada citizens to apply to the Nevada State Health Division for a license to grow and possess marijuana for medicinal purposes. Upon acceptance into the program, members may maintain up to seven marijuana plants, three of which can be blooming.

Had Nevada Senate Bill 262 passed, members who broke this seven-plant rule could then be charged with intent to sell marijuana, which carries up to fifteen years imprisonment. Since it didn’t pass, cardholding medical marijuana users who grow more than seven plants now face only possession charges, which carry a maximum of four years imprisonment.

If Senate Bill 262 passes in the Nevada legislature, then anyone found growing more than seven marijuana plants, even if they’re members of the Nevada Medical Marijuana Program, can be charged with possession for marijuana for the purpose of sale. An unfortunate consequence of this bill is that many sick, otherwise innocent Nevadans who grow extra marijuana purely for medicinal purposes will be judged just as harshly as profit-minded drug lords.

Under current Las Vegas medical marijuana laws, ailing residents who have been accepted into Nevada’s Medical Marijuana Program may grow up to seven marijuana plants (as long as only three of the plants are blooming at a time). If they grow more than seven plants, they may be found guilty of possession, which can carry a one-to-four year prison sentence with a fine of up to $5,000. But Senate Bill 262 would saddle these same patients with “intent to sell” as well, and depending on the number of extra plants they’re growing, patients could land up to fifteen years in a Nevada state prison and a $100,000 fine.

Medical marijuana users already ride the edges of the law: Even though Nevada welcomes patients to apply for a license to grow and possess medical marijuana in Nevada, federal law still fails to recognize medical marijuana, so these patients always run the risk of being arrested by federal authorities. Senate Bill 262 would make using medical marijuana even riskier. Sadly, for many terminal patients in debilitating pain, the threat of criminal prosecution pales in comparison to the relief that medical marijuana promises.