MARIJUANA
distributors a lot of power.”
But, Griffin said that he never thought alcohol distributors would end up with exclusive rights to distribution and the intended fallback all along was for others to apply for distribution licenses. Giving alcohol wholesalers first claim to licenses was a way to make the initiative more politically viable, he said.
Liquor distributors gave about $87,500 of the $666,3000 the campaign received in 2015 to pass the measure, according to a 2015 contributions and expenses report for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.
Alcohol wholesalers’ interest in recreational marijuana has waned since donating to the campaign.
“We fully expect that there are going to be fewer liquor wholesalers who are going to want to go out on a limb and get a distributors license for marijuana,” Klapstein said. “If you’re having to operate in that federal regulatory scheme, that risk (of federal punitive action) is still there.” INTEREST WANED
Tim Conder, CEO of Blackbird, a delivery and transportation company for the medical marijuana industry in Nevada, said alcohol distributors’ interest waned likely because of the change in White House administrations.
“I think the risk to their alcohol licenses with the administration change doesn’t warrant the time commitment and the risk of tackling that now,” Conder said.
It also became clear to alcohol distributors that the marijuana industry in the state is still in its infancy, he said.
“I think a lot of people think of marijuana, and they think, ‘big money, very quickly,’” Conder said. “But it takes time, and hard work and commitment. A current (medical marijuana) patient, could be very soon a (recreational marijuana) consumer. But those relationships have to be cultivated and that’s not an overnight thing.” Contact Nicole Raz at nraz@reviewjournal.com or 702380-4512. Follow @JournalistNikki on Twitter.