◆ House Speaker Brian Egolf to recuse himself on medical marijuana bill.
House Speaker Brian Egolf is recusing himself from taking part in consideration of a bill that would allow residents of other states to obtain medical marijuana licenses in New Mexico even if they don’t have a valid New Mexico driver’s license.
In a letter to Lisa Ortiz McCutcheon, the Legislature’s chief clerk, Egolf, a lawyer, said because he is the lead counsel in an appeal of a court case tied to the bill, he will take an “abundance of caution” in recusing himself from any part of the bill’s assignments, discussion or debate.
The letter says he is doing so “in the spirit and letter of the State of New Mexico’s laws and rules relating to ethical conduct.”
A Feb. 9 Santa Fe New Mexican article about conflict of interest issues within the Legislature noted Egolf had represented the state’s largest medical cannabis company in lawsuits against the state and supported Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s push to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
During an interview for the story, Egolf declined to say whether Ultra Health remains a client, citing attorney privacy rules.
He said representing that company was “absolutely not” a conflict of interest because any vote he made on medical cannabis would result in no personal benefit to him.
A bill that would have legalized the use of recreational marijuana never made it to the House of Representatives. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to table it earlier this week, killing the bill before this year’s legislative session ends Thursday.
Egolf said Friday evening the article in had nothing to do with his decision to recuse himself and that he had been working on doing so for a while.
Senate Bill 139, sponsored by Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, would amend a recent law that says outof-state residents applying for medical marijuana licenses must provide a New Mexico driver’s license.
The plaintiff in the case involving Egolf is a Texas resident, Harold Meyers, who lives close to Clayton and spends three days a week in New Mexico because of his work, according to court documents.
According to the Administrative Office of the Courts, more than 420 out-of-state residents have medical marijuana licenses in New Mexico, which they received before the law changed the procedures for getting a license.
Egolf ’s letter said if the bill working its way through the Senate makes it to the House, he will let other leaders assign it to a committee and ensure he plays no role in its fate.