LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Lawmakers continue to troubleshoot ways to crack down on the illegal cannabis market across Nevada, and a proposed bill adds more oversight to Department of Public Safety officers to take down criminals that target the Strip.

Assembly Bill 203 would empower DPS officers to tackle criminal networks that sell illegal marijuana, especially to tourists.

State officials estimate that illegal cannabis sales generate $242 million a year, cutting into crucial revenue for the state’s education fund.

Metro Police have told FOX5 about the dangers of purchasing illegal marijuana: you can become a target of criminals, or ingest dangerous additives from unregulated and untested products.

“We don’t want [tourists] buying ‘black market weed,’ but more importantly, we want them buying safe cannabis,” said Assemblyman Max Carter.

The bill also creates a study to tackle the issue, with state gaming leaders and cannabis leaders working together to crack down on illegal sales.

“The Gaming Control Board and the CCB are committed to doing a joint study in the interim about coming up with a plan to combat the black market that has gotten so prevalent out there on the Strip,” Carter said. “We need to protect tourists that come to Nevada,” he said.

The bill originally proposed the delivery of sales to the Las Vegas Strip, but only to non-gaming properties; according to Carter, gaming officials and some resorts expressed concerns that any marijuana sales near their property would put them at risk of violation of federal banking laws. Marijuana remains a Schedule 1 drug, per the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The bill also expands marijuana delivery to mobile home parks and narrows the “exclusion zone” around neighborhood casinos.

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