The Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) administers Nevada's legal medical and adult-use cannabis programs, ensuring the protection of public health and safety through a strict and rigorous regulatory system. The CCB's responsibilities include licensing and regulation of Nevada cannabis establishments. The CCB was assigned responsibility of the adult-use cannabis program with the voter-passed Regulation and Taxation of Cannabis Act in November 2016, which legalized adult-use cannabis in Nevada. The Nevada Legislature transferred responsibility of the state's medical cannabis program from Health and Human Services to the Department of Taxation on July 1, 2017. The 2019 Nevada Legislature passed Assembly Bill 533, creating the Cannabis Compliance Board and transferred the authority to license and regulate persons and establishments relating to cannabis from the Department of Taxation to the Board. The CCB became effective July 1, 2020.
The CCB administers nine cannabis license types and is responsible for establishing licensing qualifications; determining the need to license additional establishments in the state; reviewing applications for licensure; issuing initial and annual renewal of licenses; tracking licenses; reviewing and making determinations on transfers of ownership; and suspending, revoking and reinstating licenses. The CCB establishes standards and procedures for the cultivation, production, testing, distribution and sale of cannabis in Nevada. As a critical part of its regulatory oversight, the CCB inspects cannabis establishments to ensure compliance with state laws and regulations around issues such as security, testing, inventory tracking, labeling and packaging. Additionally, the CCB reviews all proposed cannabis establishment advertising and design.
There are two tax types specific to cannabis that the Department of Taxation is responsible for administering and collecting: wholesale cannabis tax and retail cannabis tax. Revenues from the wholesale cannabis tax, as well as revenues from fees, penalties, and assessments, will first pay the CCB's administrative and enforcement costs. $5 million per year is then distributed to counties, cities, and towns, and the remainder is distributed to the State Education Fund. Every six months, the Department of Taxation reviews and sets the fair market value at wholesale rates for multiple categories of cannabis product, upon which the wholesale cannabis tax is calculated. The Department of Taxation distributes revenues from the retail cannabis tax to the Account to Stabilize the Operation of State Government. Statutory Authority: NRS 372A.