Shortly after New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham made a formal announcement to introduce marijuana into the 2020 legislative agenda, state lawmakers filed a comprehensive reform to support legalization for the Land of Enchantment.
Should the bill make it through the state legislature and hit the desk of Gov. Grisham's office, it would make New Mexico the 12th state in the U.S. to legalize marijuana. Lawmakers are currently meeting for a short 30-session, which began January 21.
This crucial piece of legislation was introduced by Rep. Javier Martinez (D) and Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino (D) would allow adults in the state to possess and purchase marijuana from licensed marijuana dispensaries.
The hefty 173-page bill will include several essential regulations, such as the safety of its citizens, strict labeling, and packaging provisions, strong advertising guidelines. This bill will also encourage small businesses to participate by offering micro-business licenses.
Also, the bill would aim at social equity and restorative justice provisions that would expunge records for individuals with prior marijuana possession charges. While home growing under this bill isn't legally permitted, it does decriminalize growing by making the cultivating of 3 planets and six seedlings a punishable offense with a small fine of $50 and not jail time. Any amount surpassing the regulation is a fourth-degree felony.
Emily Kaltenbach Senior Director of DPA's Municipal Drug Strategies and New Mexico State Director, states:
"Having worked towards cannabis legalization in New Mexico for the better part of the last decade, we are excited by the possibility for New Mexico to become the 12th state in the country to legalize and regulate cannabis," Emily Kaltenbach, New Mexico state director for the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), said in a press release. "Senator Ortiz y Pino and Representative Martinez's legislation puts local communities and New Mexican families first."
"New Mexicans want to do legalization the right way. That starts by: protecting our children and our environment, making sure our roads are safe, putting medical cannabis patients first, and reinvesting back into communities most harmed by prohibition," Kaltenbach said. "Legalizing cannabis for adult use is an opportunity to grow New Mexico, keeping us true to our values and the things we care most about: the wellbeing of our children, community health, a clean environment, and the future of our state."
During governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's formal call for the 2020 legislation session, she said that in a recent poll, 75 percent of New Mexicans support the legalization of recreational marijuana. Also, the reform would potentially create 11,000 new jobs in the state and bring hundreds of millions of dollars of much-needed revenue to the state of New Mexico.35%Plagiarism
