Locals and tourists taking a drive along Interstate 15 over the past two months may have noticed something new from Nevada’s Cannabis Compliance Board: advertising urging that people “don’t gamble on safety” and “buy legal cannabis.”

The ads, riffing on a billboard warning about all marijuana from the 1998 film “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” were scattered near highways and around Harry Reid International Airport to target tourists until the campaign ended June 30.

But it’s also a good reminder for locals, said CCB Communications Director Tyler Harrison. Around 30% of the marijuana bought in Nevada is illegal, according to a 2023 survey, and industry supporters believe the campaign should be the first of many actions to combat it.

“The illicit market does, unfortunately, take up a chunk of the cannabis market here in Nevada,” Harrison said. “So it’s definitely important … that consumers (get) to have a really easy way to connect with our licensed consumption lounges and also dispensaries across the state.”

A link displayed at the bottom of the billboard took people to the CCB’s website, which now predominantly features a directory of all legal locations in the state and a Google Maps version of it.

Riana Durrett, director of the UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute, said the ads are a good start. This new direction may have been in response to industry concerns about the illegal market, Durrett said, noting there was “minimal effort” before this.

Also vice chair of the board, Durrett said requests for further enforcement went “unheard” before CCB Executive Director James Humm, who joined the organization in 2023, took over. He understands it’s a “big problem” for everyone, she said.

“The state loses out on tax revenue. People get untested products. If they don’t know what’s legal and illegal, people are unknowingly put in the position of buying illegal products,” Durrett said, adding that police say illegal marijuana is often “connected to violent crime.”

Assemblymember Max Carter II, D-Las Vegas, agreed that the campaign was “overdue.” He’s also hopeful that there can be further collaboration with the Gaming Control Board, especially with gaming equipment CEO Mike Dreitzer coming in as its new chairman.

Carter would like to see an effort where casinos in the resort corridor participate in advertising warning against illegal marijuana, highlighting that they also don’t want their customers “in danger buying untested product.”

With legal shops not allowed near casinos and marijuana delivery being banned in the resort corridor, illicit weed is commonplace on the Strip.

And there’s reason to be optimistic that the two industries may collaborate further. While the assemblymember’s sprawling marijuana legislation ultimately died in committee, he said it brought the two industries that have a history of distance closer together.

“We had gotten gaming and the cannabis industry all to the table and having productive conversations about routes forward,” the assemblymember said. “Now, did we all agree? Absolutely not. But at least the communication was fostered and grew during this legislative session.”

As for the next campaign, Carter said he’d like to see the CCB “fight fire with fire” by placing geolocated ads on search engines for people looking to purchase marijuana on the Strip. Instead of clicking on ads or links for illegal locations, they could be redirected to a legal business.

Durrett said the Legislature will also have to take action to help the industry deal with illicit marijuana.

“There has to be a reassessment of the tax structure and regulatory costs,” she said. “I don’t think that’s very likely to happen, but I do think that would make a big difference and is a huge barrier to really making effective changes when it comes to the size of the illegal market.”

The CCB market report made a similar ask to lawmakers, concluding that they regulate tax policy “with the knowledge that increased taxes may encourage some consumers to seek out the illicit market.”

There also needs to be a specific agency responsible for the illegal market that’s given funding to combat it, Durrett said. With budget restraints, none will take on more responsibilities than they’re mandated to, she said.

Harrison said legal shops will always require ID verification, have blocked off windows so that their products can’t be seen from the street and won’t be within 1,500 feet of a casino. Sales over social media should also be a “red flag,” she said.

“When you’re going in and you’re buying licensed cannabis from an established retailer, that’s been tested for harmful pesticides,” Harrison said. “Every single product that you’re going to find inside a licensed cannabis establishment has been tracked from seed to sale.”