Officials in Nevada have opened a Division of Public and Behavioral Health office in Las Vegas in an effort to cut down on wait times for patients enrolled in the state’s medical marijuana program, according to an Associated Press report.
The new office is the result of a partnership between the state and Nevada Dispensary Association.
Patients will now be able to bring their applications directly to the office and could see their prescriptions filled the same day, removing weeks of waiting by patients who previously had to mail their doctor recommendations to an office in Carson City.
State Sen. Patricia Farley said the new office removes “barriers to simple, efficient access to medical marijuana patient cards.”
“I am impressed at the efforts the Nevada Dispensary Association and the Division have expended toward reaching the common goal of serving Nevada’s patients,” she said in the report.
When Nevada’s first dispensary opened in Starks last July there were 10,000 medical marijuana cards issued by the state. Today there are more than 18,000 people approved to use cannabis therapies in Nevada.
Joe Pollock, deputy administrator for the division, said the new office will streamline the process for obtaining medical cannabis in the state.
“We are pleased to expedite, improve and simplify this process to make the medical use of marijuana more readily accessible for patients,” he said.