Washoe County Commissioner Kitty Jung wrote an essay for Dope Magazine, a Seattle-based online magazine “dedicated to creating purposeful, relevant conversations. Featuring marijuana news and product reviews.”
Jung’s piece, headlined “Is Reno, Nevada, cannabis’ biggest little secret?,” was published on Nov. 21. It’s filed under the “news” section of the website, but it’s essentially marketing directed toward out-of-state recreational cannabis users.
“Several other states legalized recreational cannabis on the same day as Nevada [Nov. 8, 2016],” she writes. “However, Nevada is alone among those states with an active—and thriving—recreational cannabis industry. Nevada is also the only state to come online after the Senate confirmation of Attorney General and notorious pot adversary Jeff Sessions. Despite the Attorney General’s loudest bellows, Nevada policymakers pushed forward with recreational cannabis, alone but undeterred. As a result, the industry in Nevada is currently employing thousands of people in jobs that start with living wages and can quickly grow into very lucrative careers. Owners of dispensaries, cultivation and production facilities in Nevada have been good neighbors and have added value to adjoining real estate and wholeheartedly have joined our community. While other states and municipalities in similar situations seem to be fumbling the ball, the Reno area has a willingness to embrace the industry and the decision is already paying off.”
She details the four million dollars in tax revenue that went to the state in the first month after legalization and predicts that Nevada “appears to be on pace to raise over 120 million dollars over two years.”
She’s also mentions some of the outdoor and indoor recreation available around the city as an appeal to tourists.
And citing the state’s history with gambling, prostitution and “combat sports,” she boasts that “the state of Nevada has a sterling reputation regulating vice.”
“Recreational cannabis is a natural fit for a state that has a happy habit of converting faux pas into massive industries,” she wrote.
Jung has been a vocal proponent of legalized marijuana for years. Her profile page on the Washoe County government websites states: “As the Washoe County strategic plan goal team lead, Commissioner Jung is also promoting a proactive approach to preparing for implementation of legalized marijuana in unincorporated Washoe County.”
“It wasn’t long ago that simple possession of cannabis was a felony on both the Las Vegas strip and in downtown Reno” begins Jung’s piece.
That was then. Nowadays, Washoe County has sitting officials writing marketing appeals to cannabis tourists.