New Mexico gov. forms group to study legalizing marijuana
‘I want New Mexico’s introduction and management of recreational cannabis to be the envy of the country’
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office announced Friday (June 28) the creation of a working group to study proposals to legalize recreational marijuana in New Mexico and make recommendations for legislation expected to be introduced next year.
The Cannabis Legalization Working Group will aim to identify best practices for sale and consumption used in states where recreational marijuana is legal, the governor’s office said. Comprised of lawmakers, Cabinet secretaries, members of the medical marijuana industry and others, the group is charged with making proposals for regulating the industry in a way that promotes public safety and boosts jobs.
The formation of the group comes after a bill to legalize recreational cannabis passed the New Mexico House earlier this year, but did not clear the state Senate, where such legislation repeatedly has died at the hands of more conservative members of both major political parties.
Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, was a co-sponsor of the Senate’s version of the bill and remains an advocate of legalizing recreational marijuana. “Legalization in New Mexico is not only timely but I think in light of other states having great benefits as well as recognizing the fact that we have criminalized the use and possession [of marijuana], we need ensure that anyone serving time for use or possession is relieved of that criminal activity,” he said in an email.
Despite the bill’s failure, Lujan Grisham has said she will make the legalization of adult use of cannabis a priority for next year’s 30-day session of the Legislature.
“I want New Mexico’s introduction and management of recreational cannabis to be the envy of the country,” the governor said in a statement. “This group will ensure we begin the next session with a credible, equitable and cohesive legalization proposal that will incorporate all public safety concerns, workplace regulations, labeling requirements that protect underage children and all manner of other issues.”
Among key issues is how to propose legislation that could successfully introduce a legal adult use market without harming the state’s medical marijuana program, which was created in 2007. Proponents want to ensure that producers continue to provide enough supply of cannabis for medical use and don’t flood the market with strains that are popular in the recreational market.
“There weren’t enough safeguards in the previous legislation for the medical cannabis industry,” said Robert Munro, president of the board of the New Mexico Cannabis Chamber of Commerce.
More than 70,000 people currently participate in the medical program. Earlier this month, the list of qualifications to participate in the program was expanded to include opioid use disorder, autism spectrum disorder, Alzheimer’s disease and several degenerative neurological disorders.
The working group will be led by Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis and includes state lawmakers, Rep. Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, and Sen. Cliff Pirtle, R-Roswell. Environment Secretary James Kenney, Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel and senior economist James Girard of the Taxation and Revenue Department are also part of the roster.
Cisneros said it will be important for a future bill to consider how revenue generated by the sale of recreational marijuana “can be utilized for other purposes and particularly treating other substance abuse.”
But a major challenge for a future recreational marijuana bill remains the opposition of Republicans and more conservative Democrats in the Senate.
Sen. William Sharer, R-Farmington, said the public safety concerns and health care expenses associated with recreational use would outweigh the potential tax benefits.
“Overall, it seems like it’s counterproductive to a good society,” Sharer said in an interview.
Sharer urged the working group to examine the disadvantages of legalization as well as the economic and other benefits.
“The group ought to look at not just the pros but the cons,” he said.
The study group appears prepared to do that, according to the governor’s statement.
“There are open questions about how legalization can work best for New Mexico,” she said. “This group will answer those questions, and we will arrive at the next session prepared.”
Illinois this month became the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana use.
‘Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, was a co-sponsor of the Senate’s version of the bill and remains an advocate of legalizing recreational marijuana.’