Riana Durrett

Director, 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Cannabis Policy Institute
Adjunct Professor, William S. Boyd School of Law
Expertise: Cannabis law, policy, and regulation, Cannabis industry, Marijuana dispensaries

Biography

Riana Durrett — a well-known figure in Nevada’s cannabis law and policy space — is the inaugural director of 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's Cannabis Policy Institute, which launched in 2023. She also teaches cannabis law and regulation courses at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's William S. Boyd School of Law.

Durrett's background includes appointment by the governor as the first vice chair of the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board. Prior to her work with the compliance board, Durrett served from 2015 to 2020 as the executive director of the Nevada Dispensary Association, where she established the association as the primary resource on best practices in Nevada's cannabis industry — developing the Nevada Dispensary Association into the primary regulatory and government affairs voice for Nevada's cannabis industry.

In addition to her work at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, Durrett currently serves on the boards of the Nevada Taxpayer Association and the Nevada Conservation League.

Durrett is an attorney admitted to practice law in Nevada and California. While pursuing her law degree, Durrett participated in several internship and externship programs, including a judicial internship for the Suquamish Tribe, where her mother is an enrolled tribal member. 

Education

  • LL.M., Gaming Law and Regulation, 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ
  • J.D., 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ
  • B.A., Political Science, 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ

Search For Other Experts On

business development, law, politics (Nevada)

Riana Durrett In The News

Travel Weekly
Las Vegas becoming the Amsterdam in the desert for cannabis tourism any time soon is still the stuff of dreams. The first state-regulated cannabis consumption lounge to open, Thrive Cannabis Marketplace's Smoke and Mirrors, closed in April after just a little more than a year in operation.
Forbes
Tourism on The Strip is down this year, but weed isn't the salvation. Here's why allowing consumption lounges and other 420-friendly activities in the top casinos would put them at risk to lose everything.
K.V.V.U. T.V. Fox 5
A large Las Vegas drug bust only gives a small window into the scope of the massive illegal market across Nevada, according to the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Cannabis Policy Institute.
Vice
Would the sting of losing a wallet’s worth of cash burn less or more if you were baked? A recent poll from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’s Cannabis Policy Institute asked questions about cannabis and the gaming industry. The institute conducted interviews with 620 adults across the country, not just in Vegas. And people want to see cannabis on casino floors.

Articles Featuring Riana Durrett

cannabis cultivation center
Business and Community | June 20, 2025

How 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s Cannabis Policy Institute is both shaping and changing the conversation around marijuana.