The American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit in Las Vegas demanding the state remove cannabis from its list of schedule 1 drugs.
Schedule 1 drugs are those deemed to have no medical or beneficial use such as methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine.
The petition filed in Clark County District Court argues that is an unconstitutional violation of what Nevada voters approved when they legalized pot, directing that it be treated like alcohol and removed from the state’s list of controlled substances.
“Police departments and district attorneys in Nevada have wasted an immense amount of taxpayer dollars by seeking criminal convictions and penalties for small time cannabis possession,” said ACLU lawyer Sadmira Ramic. “Despite Nevada voters’ explicit desire to have cannabis treated like alcohol, it is readily apparent that they are treated very differently.”
Ramic charged that cannabis must be removed from the list of schedule 1 drugs, saying failure to do so violates the Nevada Constitution which recognizes the medical value of cannabis.
Nevada voters amended the state constitution in 2000 to recognize the medical uses of pot. Then, in 2016, voters legalized possession of pot for recreational purposes.
The lawsuit was filed by ACLU on behalf of the Cannabis Equity and Inclusion Community.
