Commission appoints 12 members to recreational marijuana advisory panel

By April Corbin

Published Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | 10:52 a.m.

Updated Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | 2:01 p.m.

Clark County commissioners this morning appointed 12 members to their Green Ribbon Panel. The panel will advise commissioners on zoning and business licensing issues related to recreational marijuana.

The panel consists of members from the marijuana industry, the gaming and retail industries, and professional associations related to recreational and medical marijuana.

Members are:

• Andrew Abboud is the senior vice president of government relations for Las Vegas Sands Corp. According to his application, he has been “active with community awareness and public relations issues on behalf of the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse Treatment and Research Inc.” Adelson was a staunch opponent of medical marijuana.

• Dr. Tony Alamo is a licensed physician, is chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission and has served on the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Alamo earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry from UNLV and his medical degree from the University of Southern California School of Medicine. Alamo founded the Alamo Medical Clinic in 1994 in Henderson.

• John DiBella owns DiBella Flowers and Gifts as well as Nevada Pure/Shango, a medical marijuana dispensary, cultivation and production facility. He is a member of the Nevada Retail Association. Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick originally pushed for a member of the Nevada Retail Association to be on the panel because, she said, retailers located near marijuana businesses had concerns.

• Frank Hawkins owns Nevada Wellness Center, the only 100 percent minority-owned dispensary in the state. Hawkins, who is black, previously served on the Las Vegas City Council.

• Andrew Jolley is president of the Nevada Dispensary Association. He is also the largest owner, founder and CEO of Nevada Organic Remedies, which operates two dispensaries, two cultivation facilities and a production facility.

• Carmen F. Jones is a pediatrician and physician consultant for the Wellness Center. According to her application, she has been seeing medical marijuana patients for more than five years.

• Jay Matos was part of the lobbying team for medical marijuana in Nevada in 2013. He was recommended by Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani.

• Howard Starr is a managing member of the Las Vegas Natural Caregivers/House of Herbs, one of the first cultivators licensed in the county.

• Lucy Stewart is a consultant with a background in comprehensive planning.

• Chao-Hsiung Tung is chief executive officer and laboratory scientific director of G3 Labs. He has a doctorate in plant/environmental sciences and specializes in greenhouse plant production, environmental/safety sampling techniques and analytical methodologies.

• Virginia Valentine is president of the Nevada Resort Association.

• Armen Yemenidjian is CEO of Integral Associates, a vertically integrated medical marijuana company. He is the former vice president of player development and casino operations for the Tropicana.

Nevadans voted to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and over in November. The law went into effect this year, but state regulators are still crafting regulations. Commissioners decided last month to “get ahead” of the regulations and be prepared for them.