Seth A. Richardson

srichardson@rgj.com

Update 10:45 p.m.:

Nevada went green on Tuesday by approving a ballot initiative legalizing recreational marijuana.

The law makes it legal for anyone over 21 to possess as much as one ounce of marijuana or one-eighth of an ounce of concentrate. A 15 percent excise tax plus fees and licensing for dispensaries will by some estimates generate $20 million for schools.

Municipalities will not be able to create their own prohibition laws, effectively making marijuana use legal all over the state. However, localities do have some say on zoning for dispensaries.

Backers of the initiative are projecting around $393 million in sales in 2018, a possible $1.1 billion in economic impact by 2024 and as many as 6,200 new jobs for the industry-friendly bill. All marijuana must be grown in Nevada, even as neighboring California passed a recreational marijuana initiative Tuesday as well.

Liquor distributors have a monopoly on distribution licenses for the first 18 months, a provision the backers say is based on the infrastructure of the industry. Medical marijuana dispensaries are also the first to market in the sale of marijuana for the first 18 months.

Dispensaries will be allocated by county size, with 80 to Clark County, 20 to Washoe County, four to Carson City and two to the other 14 counties. A ban on home growing will be put in place in a 25-mile halo around all dispensaries, essentially blocking most of the population from cultivating their own marijuana.

By law, the Legislature must address the taxation and regulation in the upcoming 2017 session.

Original post:

Nevada voters have approved Question 2, the ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana.

As of 10:15 p.m., the measure had nearly 54 percent of the vote.