Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Metro Police make 10 arrests at Las Vegas marijuana convention

Updated Wednesday, May 20, 2015 | 1:12 p.m.

Metro Police arrested 10 people at Hempcon, a three-day medical marijuana education convention.

Lt. Laz Chavez said vendors at five booths were caught selling marijuana to undercover officers. Detectives also caught vendors selling hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Police met with city business licensing officials and the event’s promoter through conference calls and in person before the event to clarify Nevada laws, Chavez said.

“We have an expectation that vendors and people who are doing these sort of conferences would follow the law,” he said.

A message posted Monday on the Hempcon Facebook page by convention organizers lamented the “unfortunate police activity” as a blow to the event and vendors.

“It is sad that our industry is subject to such indiscriminate and prejudicial behavior by law enforcement, but we as a community will persevere and not let our forward momentum be derailed by them,” the message said.

Another message in response to negative comments from Facebook users stated organizers made no money on the event.

“If we would have been aware of the results we would have cancelled the event ASAP,” the message said.

Chavez said the city of Las Vegas may cite the promoter and denied that police targeted medical marijuana patients.

He said legal dispensaries are “doing everything right.”

“These people at Hempcon were doing everything wrong,” he said.

Hempcon was held Friday through Sunday at Cashman Center.

Las Vegas Sun reporter Pashtana Usufzy and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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