Medical cannabis prices for Nevada’s patients have seen an increase since the rollout of the recreational market – in some cases doubling – which has forced some patients back into the illicit market, according to a report from Fox 6.
Emily Wilson, a registered patient interviewed in the report, said many patients she had spoken to admitted they were returning to street dealers because they could not afford “the price gouging” at dispensaries. She had used medical cannabis following a surgery that had left her “pretty much bedridden,” but was able to wean off her medication after “six to eight months” of medical cannabis therapies.
Lissa LaWatsch, general manager of ReLeaf Dispensary, admitted that the prices have gone up due to increased demand, but the dispensary is discouraging people from returning to the illegal market because “when you’re on the street and you’re buying something, you don’t really know what you’re getting.”
She said that while the dispensary has seen a decrease in medical patients, the shop is offering some incentive to medical cannabis cardholders, such as allowing them to jump to the front of the dispensary lines.
Nevada’s adult-use market went online earlier this month and dispensaries were reportedly running out of products a week after its launch — this was partly due to high demand and partly due to there being no distributors licensed to serve the recreational market. Last week, the Tax Commission approved at least one business, which currently holds a medical cannabis delivery license, to deliver to the recreational sector.