Carson City Judge James Wilson will issue a ruling Tuesday June 20th on whether the state has the authority to issue marijuana distribution licenses to anyone besides existing alcohol wholesalers. In the voter approved initiative, their role was to serve as the middleman between growers and retailers. But they were slow to apply for licenses, and the Department of Taxation, opened up the process, in order to get retail sales going by July 1st. But the liquor distributors filed suit.
The state started talking about an early start within weeks of voter approval.   Five license applications have been from liquor wholesalers and the other 85 are from medical marijuana dispensaries. Without the July 1st start of recreational sales, the state could see a hole blown in the budget.