New Mexico just legalized recreational cannabis!!!

[Amynamous]

Even though the Governor hasn’t signed it yet, she has clearly signaled her intent to sign the bill when it gets to her desk.
with that being said...YAY NEW MEXICO!!!



ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —
A bill to legalize recreational marijuana has passed the Senate on a vote of 22-15 Wednesday night. It headed back to the house for a concurrence vote. It quickly passed the house on those amendments. It now heads to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's desk for her to sign into law.

A special session was called for March 30, 2021 by the governor to get this bill "done and done right," as she said in press conference following the close of the legislative session.

This bill comes with certain safeguards for New Mexico’s medical cannabis program and legal cannabis sales will begin in March 2022.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement, “This is a significant victory for New Mexico. Workers will benefit from the opportunity to build careers in this new economy. Entrepreneurs will benefit from the opportunity to create lucrative new enterprises. The state and local governments will benefit from the additional revenue. Consumers will benefit from the standardization and regulation that comes with a bona fide industry. And those who have been harmed by this country’s failed war on drugs, disproportionately communities of color, will benefit from our state’s smart, fair and equitable new approach to past low-level convictions."

As the bill currently stands:

• Recreational cannabis will be legal in 2022
• There will be a maximum 20% tax on it
• The state will regulate sellers
• There will be no limits on the amount of license issued
• People who have been convicted of possessing it for personal use will have their criminal record expunged
• Eventually, there will be a cap on the number of plants sellers can grow.

Steve Pearce, Chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico said in a statement, "This marijuana session was travesty. There was no need for lawmakers to return to the Roundhouse for this bill. With New Mexico's collapsed economy, high unemployment and weak education system, it's sad that marijuana would lead to even more crime, underage use and impaired driving."

The recreational cannabis bill was amended during the special session and includes barring current members of the house and senate from obtaining licenses as cannabis producers until July of 2026.

 

[flylowgethigh]

Pukes need to wake the fuck up about pot. Can you grow in NM? That is the only question IMO.

 

[Amynamous]

Pukes need to wake the fuck up about pot. Can you grow in NM? That is the only question IMO.

While i have not read the final version of the bill, the version that was available a couple of weeks ago stated no personal grows for recreation. That being said, there were no penalties for home growing six or fewer plants, and a fifty dollar fine for growing 7-12 plants. Not perfect, but better than some other states.

 

[unclefishstick]

about dang time new mexico...i guess i need to read up on how to get a license now...

 

[flylowgethigh]

The way people are working from home now, might have states competing with each other for the taxpaying home workers. !0th amendment at work, not that the Constitution matters anymore.

 

[Amynamous]

The way people are working from home now, might have states competing with each other for the taxpaying home workers. !0th amendment at work, not that the Constitution matters anymore.

Good point. The 10th amendment is why the practice of medicine is a state power and not a federal one. I’ve long believed that someone who lost their job for medical marijuana usage would have a good chance of winning their case if they could get it to SCOTUS. I’ve never heard of anyone losing their job because they’re lawfully using prescription medications within accepted guidelines. That’s not true with medical cannabis.

 

[aridbud]

Pukes need to wake the fuck up about pot. Can you grow in NM? That is the only question IMO.

Yup! Small personal grow! Can't believe it but it's true! (".....Have I Dreamed, or Is It REAL.....afterthought autos", babee!

Way to GROW, New Mexico! Thank you Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, for seeking extended legislative Special Session to get H.B.2 finalized and SIGNED!

Here are some of the main provisions in the new legalization bill, HB 2, as amended:

— Adults 21 and older could purchase and possess up to two ounces of cannabis, 16 grams of cannabis concentrates and 800 milligrams of infused edibles. All products would be tested by licensed laboratories for contamination and potency.

— Home cultivation of up to six mature cannabis plants would be allowed for personal use, provided the plants are out of public sight and secured from children. Households would be limited to 12 total plants. Marijuana grown at home could not be sold or bartered.

— Legal retail sales wouldn’t begin for another year or so, with a target date of April 1, 2022 or earlier. Final license rules would be due from the state by January 1, 2022, with licenses themselves issued no later than April 1.

— Advertising cannabis to people under 21 would be prohibited, with the use of cartoon characters or other imagery likely to appeal to children forbidden. Advertisements would also be barred from billboards or other public media within 300 feet of a school, daycare center or church. All products would need to carry a state-approved warning label.

— There is no limit on the number of business licensees that could be granted under the program, or the number of facilities a licensee could open, although regulators could stop issuing new licenses if an advisory committee determines that “market equilibrium is deficient.”

— Small cannabis microbusinesses, which could grow up to 200 plants, would be able to grow, process and sell cannabis products all under a single license. The bill’s backers have said the separate license type will allow wider access to the new industry for entrepreneurs without access to significant capital.

— Cannabis purchases will include a 12 percent excise tax on top of the state’s regular 8 percent sales tax. Beginning in 2025, the excise rate would climb by 1 percent each year until it reached 18 percent in 2030. Medical marijuana products, available only to patients and caretakers, would be exempt from the tax.

— In an effort to ensure medical patients can still access medicine after the adult-use market opens, the bill allows the state to force licensed cannabis producers to reserve up to 10 percent of their products for patients in the event of a shortage or grow more plants to be used in medical products.

— Local governments could not ban cannabis businesses entirely, as some other states have allowed. Municipalities could, however, use their local zoning authority to limit the number of retailers or their distance from schools, daycares or other cannabis businesses.

— Tribal governments could participate in the state’s legal cannabis industry under legal agreements contemplated under the bill.

— With certain social justice provisions expected to be repackaged into a separate bill, the legalization measure retains only some of HB 12’s original equity language, primarily focused on enacting procedures meant to encourage communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs to participate in the new industry.

— The new industry would be overseen by a newly created Cannabis Control Division, part of the state Regulation and Licensing Department. Medical marijuana would also be regulated by that division, although the Department of Health would control the patient registry.

— By September of this year, the state would establish a cannabis regulatory advisory committee to advise the Cannabis Control Division. The committee would need to include various experts and stakeholders, such as the chief public defender, local law enforcement, a cannabis policy advocate, an organized labor representative, a medical cannabis patient, a tribal nation or pueblo, various scientists, an expert in cannabis regulation, an environmental expert, a water expert and a cannabis industry professional, among others.

— The bill as amended now includes language that would allow medical marijuana patients who are registered in other states to participates in in other states to access, a proposal that failed to pass during the regular session.

A separate spending bill introduced for the special session, HB 1, includes funding to establish and oversee the state’s legal cannabis industry. That measure has passed both chambers.

 

[unclefishstick]

very interesting...already hatching schemes over here...

 

[dddaver]

Congrats. Growing is a biggy. Now if FL would at least allow med grows.

 

[aridbud]

A celebration for sure, flyer sent to email folk to join in, NM peeps a bonus! Long time in coming! Excellent sale, new commercial contacts were a gift, thanks to social media sans FB. It was a boon! Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has 9 days to sign to go into effect. Yahoooo!

 

[aridbud]

New Mexico becomes latest state to legalize marijuana, a rebuttal to America's 'failed war on drugs'. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the bill on April 12, making New Mexico the 18th state to legalize adult-use cannabis and the fifth to do so through the legislative process rather than by voter initiative.

You can read a summary of the final bill, HB 2, here.

Gov. Lujan Grisham called the legislature into special session because she wanted them to finish their work on this bill. The House of Representatives had already approved (39-31) Rep. Javier Martinez’ bill to legalize cannabis for adult use, HB 12, on February 26, but time ran out in the regular session before the Senate could bring it to a vote. The bill was reintroduced in the special session as HB 2.

In addition to legalizing personal possession of at least two ounces of cannabis, HB 2 will also allow home cultivation of six mature plants. A companion bill — SB 2 — will provide for automatic expungement.

Let's hope Duke Rodriguez gets some healthy competition so his monopoly stays at 20 some state wide MMJ dispensaries.

 

[aridbud]

MORGAN LEE
Mon, April 12, 2021, 9:26 AM AP.com

New Mexico governor set to sign recreational marijuana bill

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was set Monday to sign legislation that will legalize recreational marijuana use and sales in the state, making it the seventh since last November to do so.

The governor, a Democrat, has supported marijuana reform as a way to create jobs and shore up state revenue.

Her office in an advisory said she was scheduling a bill signing ceremony and news conference for later in the day.

New Mexico voters ousted ardent opponents of legalization from the state Senate in the 2020 Democratic primary, opening the way for legalization of recreational marijuana.


Legislators rallied behind a legalization framework from state Rep. Javier Martinez of Albuquerque that provides automated procedures for expunging past pot convictions.

The bill gives the governor a strong hand in oversight of recreational marijuana through her appointed superintendent of the Regulation and Licensing Department.

Regulators can put a cap on marijuana cultivation quantities and impose a per-plant state fee of up to $50 a year.

Some of the state's medical marijuana producers lobbied for market controls amid concerns that marijuana prices might plummet with the legalization of recreational marijuana, undermining investments and employment.

People age 21 and over will be allowed to buy and possess up to 2 ounces (28 grams) of marijuana outside their homes.

Home marijuana growers will be allowed to grow up to six plants per person, or 12 per household. The scent of marijuana will no longer be grounds for police seizures.

Smells like skunk somewhere!!!! ;o)

 

[unclefishstick]

finally gonna be able to open the living room window during the summer!

 

[Jellyfish]

finally gonna be able to open the living room window during the summer!

LOL! I went through Albuquerque in 1975, and I was not impressed- it was very redneck (although I did find some peeps to smoke with there). But I might have to re-think New Mexico, because it's down in the warmer climates, but it ISN'T Dixie, Texas or Florida (yes, I know those things overlap). Any NM residents want to give a testimonial about their state? Cost of living? Demographic? Job situation? Overall grooviness? Etc.

 

[unclefishstick]

LOL! I went through Albuquerque in 1975, and I was not impressed- it was very redneck (although I did find some peeps to smoke with there). But I might have to re-think New Mexico, because it's down in the warmer climates, but it ISN'T Dixie, Texas or Florida (yes, I know those things overlap). Any NM residents want to give a testimonial about their state? Cost of living? Demographic? Job situation? Overall grooviness? Etc.

depends on where you are in the state of course...i can only give input on the las cruces area...fairly cheap to live here,summers are hot as satan's balls,but really not that bad...it's the dry heat! have no idea about the job situation,haven't worked in years...i think lc is a pretty groovy spot,but i'm also old and boring...good people here,overall a friendly town/city,never really noticed it lacking in any amenities...and the world's best green chile...

 

[hwaken]

Hot damn

https://www.leafly.com/news/politic...um=push_notification&utm_campaign=news_042021

 

[Big D]

congrats unc! and the rest of you tumble weeds

 

[tobedetermined]

Great news for all of you guys in NM!

 

[aridbud]

depends on where you are in the state of course...i can only give input on the las cruces area...fairly cheap to live here,summers are hot as satan's balls,but really not that bad...it's the dry heat! have no idea about the job situation,haven't worked in years...i think lc is a pretty groovy spot,but i'm also old and boring...good people here,overall a friendly town/city,never really noticed it lacking in any amenities...and the world's best green chile...

LC has both pesticides and fertilizers blowing in the wind pretty much year round. Not conducive if you have allergies, health conditions.

Pretty much NM is a $10 an hour state for jobs, likely increased to $12 an hour if you have no skills/education to contribute. 47th in the nation for poverty, education, etc.

Those in government, healthcare fare better or being bilingual for jobs. Rent, mortgages seeing a steep incline in most areas this past year as "New Mexico" is on the map of destinations. Retirees are taxes on their Social Security.

Aside from those downfalls (crime, as well), 4 distinct seasons, many areas for exploration outdoors.

 

[Bob Green]

Holy shit guys!!!

After three decades of doing it underground I don't know what to think. Even those micro licenses sound appealing. 200 plants and built in vertical integration is a good fit for quite a few of us.

Road goes on forever and the party never ends....