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Nevada Pot Sales at $3 to $5 Million on First Weekend

Paul Ausick

Published: July 4, 2017 9:07 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 10:28 am

Saturday, July 1, marked the first day of recreational marijuana sales in the state of Nevada, and by any measure, it was a huge success. An estimate by the Nevada Dispensary Association puts first-weekend sales of recreational pot at between $3 and $5 million.

Lines were long, with some customers waiting up to an hour to make their purchases. Among the buyers was state Senator Tick Segerblom, an early supporter of legal recreational use in the state, who made the first purchase at The+Source dispensary. The senator bought a pre-rolled joint of strain named for him, Segerblom Haze.

Nevada is the fifth state to launch legal sales of marijuana for recreational use and is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska in adding to the state’s coffers with tax revenue generated by the sales. Given the tourist traffic the state already generates thanks to its casino gambling, both the industry and the state are expecting big things. Only California’s potential receipts from legal recreational sales (scheduled to begin next year) are expected to exceed Nevada’s.

Demand exceeded expectations for the first three days of sales, but dispensary owners stocked up in advance and supplies are expected to be ample for several weeks.

One customer, Charles Villalobos, told LasVegasNow:

It’s awesome. I mean I was there for the first day at Sahara Wellness, so you know, I was number 13 in line.  I don’t think Las Vegas ever realized how many people actually smoked marijuana.

The state has 44 legal dispensaries of which 39 are located in Las Vegas. More dispensaries are being licensed and are expected to be open for business within the next few days.