Cannabis Compliance Board approves settlements with three dispensaries after underage compliance checks
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Summary
The Cannabis Compliance Board on Feb. 19 approved settlement agreements with Live Free Wellness ($8,000) and two other licensees (each $20,000) after enforcement underage compliance checks found sales at three dispensaries; staff said 96% of checks passed and regulators announced rulemaking workshops in March.
The Cannabis Compliance Board on Feb. 19 adopted settlement agreements with three recreational dispensaries after statewide underage compliance checks found sales at three locations.
Senior Deputy Attorney General Toni Grassi told the board that CCB enforcement visited 67 of the state’s 107 recreational dispensaries in 2025 for underage compliance checks and that “96% of the dispensaries passed a compliance check without issue.” Grassi cited NRS 678B545, which requires both a visual inspection of identification and verification with a CCB‑approved scanning device before cannabis products are sold.
Live Free Wellness, doing business with parent company Air Wellness, agreed to a financial civil penalty of $8,000, with the option to pay a single flat fee or $2,000 per month for four months, and accepted a category 2 violation tied to the incident; Grassi said the settlement treats repeat offenses more severely. Alicia Ashcraft, representing Live Free Wellness, and Paul Honey, the company’s Nevada compliance manager, told the board the company self‑reported the incident the day after it occurred and conducted retraining and corrections at the affected store.
Two other licensees — Clear River LLC (Nevada Bay) and Lone Mountain Partners (Verano) — reached settlement terms the board also approved. Grassi said each agreement imposes a $20,000 civil penalty, payable in a lump sum or in monthly installments (Grassi described an example schedule of $2,000 per month through late 2026), and assigns a category 3 violation. Counsel for the companies confirmed the incidents involved scanning or door‑check errors by individual employees; Ashley Merritt, Lone Mountain’s senior manager of retail compliance, told the board the company updated standard operating procedures, retrained staff and added signage after the event.
One company representative pressed for individual employee accountability. That speaker said, “I’m paying $20,000. He’s paying nothing,” arguing that culpability should fall on the staff member who allowed the sale. A board member responded by noting the industry’s move away from aggressive individual fines and emphasizing progressive discipline and the difficulty of holding lower‑wage employees to large civil penalties.
Board motions to adopt the settlements were made and seconded during the meeting; each motion was approved. The board also approved a routine consent agenda earlier in the session.
Board members and leadership praised staff work on enforcement. The executive leadership said it will continue compliance checks and encouraged industry stakeholders to participate in rulemaking; staff announced regulation workshops in March for proposed changes that will later come back to the board for formal consideration.
The board set its next meeting for March 19.
