Medical marijuana to sick pets? Tick Segerblom’s bill would make it possible

Pets might soon be able to use pot under a bill introduced Tuesday in the Nevada Legislature.

Democratic Sen. Tick Segerblom is sponsoring the measure that would allow animal owners to get marijuana for their pet if a veterinarian certifies the animal has an illness that might be alleviated by the drug.

Segerblom said he’s concerned that some animals might have adverse reactions, but “you don’t know until you try,” he said.

Some veterinarians who have given cannabis to sick and dying pets say it’s relieved their symptoms, although the substance hasn’t been proven as a painkiller for animals.

The proposal is in its earliest stages and faces several legislative hurdles before it could become law. The pot for pets provision of SB372 is part of a larger bill that would overhaul the state’s medical marijuana law, removing penalties for drivers who have marijuana in their blood and requiring training for pot-shop owners.

Democratic senator unveils alternative to Sandoval tax plan

Democratic Sen. Pat Spearman has unveiled an alternative tax plan that she says would generate as much revenue as Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposal.

Spearman is sponsoring SB378, which was introduced Tuesday.

She said she expects the bill will be discussed next week.

The bill would repeal the modified business tax, which Spearman says discourages hiring. It would impose a 0.47 percent tax on business gross receipts that exceed $25,000 in a quarter.

Spearman proposes the business license fee remain a flat $200 per year, while businesses that are incorporated in Nevada but don’t conduct trade in the state would pay $400.

Sandoval’s plan calls for a tiered business license fee ranging from $400 to $4 million annually.

Spearman said Nevadans deserve to choose from more than one tax plan.

Bill would allow concealed weapons on campuses

A bill allowing concealed firearms on college campuses and airports has passed out of a Nevada Assembly committee.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee voted to approve AB 148 and a host of other gun-related bills on Wednesday on mostly party-line votes with unanimous Republican support.

The “campus carry” bill was amended to include language allowing for guns to be kept in locked cars in the parking lots of schools. The amended bill would require written permission from school officials to bring a concealed firearm onto a K-12 campus or to a daycare center.

The committee also approved bills allowing for foster parents to carry and store guns in their home and allowing Nevada to recognize out-of-state concealed weapon permits.

The bills now head toward a vote of the full Assembly.