Former Nevada supreme court justice, gaming official named to Cannabis Compliance Board
Jenny Kane
A former Nevada Supreme Court justice and a longstanding Gaming Control Board chairman are the first named members of Nevada's soon-to-be Cannabis Compliance Board.
On Friday, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced the appointment of former Gaming Control Board Chairman Dennis K. Neilander to the board along with former Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael L. Douglas, who was named chairman.
The Cannabis Compliance Board, which is set to take on some of the complex issues plaguing Nevada's new industry, is expected to go into effect on July 1, 2021. The board will oversee the cannabis industry and will work to revise current industry regulations to improve the industry's standards.
For subscribers:Hemp grower is suing Carson City for $15 million after it was denied cultivation rights
“Justice Douglas and Mr. Neilander make up the first two appointments to the Cannabis Compliance Board, bringing together one of the brightest legal minds in Nevada’s history and the longest-serving Chair of the highly regarded Gaming Control Board,” Sisolak said.
Together the appointees will "provide invaluable guidance and steady hands" as the board transitions to a fully authorized enforcement body on July 1.
Douglas and Neilander will be working with board Executive Director Tyler Klimas to lay the regulatory groundwork for the board. The remaining Board members will be named at a later date by the Governor.
Blu gets too stoned:Las Vegas councilwoman's French bulldog ingests THC before vote denying dispensary
Justice Michael L. Douglas was appointed to the Supreme Court of Nevada in 2004 and served as Chief Justice in 2011 and 2018. He retired from the bench in 2019. Prior to serving on the Supreme Court, he sat on the Eighth Judicial District Court bench.
Dennis K. Neilander is currently cf counsel for Kaempfer Crowell where he focuses on gaming, administrative law, and government affairs.
The law firm has been tied to a number of cannabis-related cases, including a recent case in which a hemp grower is trying to use city land for cultivation.
A Governor's Office spokesman told the Nevada Current that Neilander does not handle any marijuana-related cases.
Neilander served as chairman of the Nevada State Gaming Control Board for 10 years. He oversaw approximately 500 employees and a $42 million budget.
Jenny Kane covers arts and culture in Northern Nevada, as well as the dynamic relationship between the state and the growing Burning Man community. She also covers the state's burgeoning cannabis industry (Check out her podcast, the Potcast, on iTunes.) Support her work in Reno by subscribing to RGJ.com right here.