For years, most New Mexico Republicans have steadfastly opposed proposals to legalize recreational marijuana use. But with an increasing number of states moving toward cannabis legalization, three Senate Republicans have teamed up with three Democratic colleagues on a bipartisan bill, filed Thursday, that would allow for the sale of marijuana through state-run stores. “Marijuana is […]
New Mexico
Latest bill to legalize marijuana gains momentum in New Mexico Legislature
Recreational marijuana would become legal for people 21 or older in New Mexico and the state could tax marijuana sold in licensed stores under a bill introduced Thursday by state Rep. Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque. House Bill 356 would establish a licensing system that supporters say favors small businesses and institute a 9 percent tax on […]
New Mexico Moves Closer To Allowing Hemp Cultivation
The state Department of Agriculture is proposing rules that would allow the growing of hemp in New Mexico – a key step in carrying out a 2017 law that Gov. Susana Martinez opposed. The rules outline licensing and testing requirements to ensure that hemp – a relative of marijuana – doesn’t have high levels of […]
N.M. Medical Cannabis Program Surging Toward $100 Million in 2018
PRESS RELEASE Two licensed producers generate half of New Mexico’s cannabis industry growth ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., July 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The 35 commercial producers in New Mexico surpassed $51 million in patient sales for the first six months of 2018, according to data submitted to the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH). The retail […]
Albuquerque Mayor Signs Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Into Law
Mayor Tim Keller signed a bill Thursday decriminalizing the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana in the city. The legislation, passed by city councilors last week, replaces the criminal penalty of fines and jail time for such possession with a $25 civil fine. Authorities warned that marijuana possession remains a criminal offense under […]
N.M. Medical Cannabis Program Soars Past 50,000 Milestone
PRESS RELEASE ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., April 03, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — For the first time, New Mexico’s Medical Cannabis Program exceeded 50,000 patients, reaching 50,954 as of March 31, 2018, according to the New Mexico Department of Health. The current enrollment is 46 percent higher than the 34,909 patient enrollment as of March 31, 2017. The […]
New Mexico Advocates Hope to Get Medical Marijuana Treatment for Opioid Addiction
New Mexico could become the first state to officially recognize cannabis as an effective alternative to opioid painkillers – if activists succeed in getting opioid use disorder (OUD) added to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana, that is. It’s a tall order. Several states – including Nevada, Maine and even New Mexico itself earlier […]
New Mexico Cannabis Providers Pay $2.93 Million for 14,550 Plants
PRESS RELEASE Albuquerque – The 35 Licensed Non-Profit Producers (LNPPs) licensed a total of 14,550 plants through July 31, 2018, an increase of 750 plants or 5 percent since August 1, 2016, while the program’s enrollment is expected to grow by more than 42,000 patients or 150 percent for the same period. Currently, less than one […]
Medical Marijuana Industry Thriving in New Mexico
New Mexico’s medical cannabis industry has grown into a powerful magnet for money and customers. Customers, sales revenue and dispensaries have exploded the past year with a total of more than 40,000 people now signed up to purchase medical marijuana. Since Jan. 1, some 8,000 New Mexicans obtained a state-issued license that allows them to […]
Bill Would Allow Medical Marijuana Access to All Veterans in New Mexico
A Senate committee voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that would make changes to New Mexico’s Medical Cannabis Program, but some lawmakers were troubled by a section that would allow veterans to enroll without being diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition. One state senator who voted in favor of the measure said he might […]
Medical Marijuana Is a Growing Business in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Rachael Speegle, 34, left a full-time job as a critical care nurse last year to work at an Albuquerque medical marijuana dispensary and growing operation started by her husband. Speegle quickly discovered that people who came to the Verdes Foundation dispensary in Albuquerque had lots of questions that called for her nursing […]
New Mexico’s MMJ Program Head Retta Ward Dead After Medical Episode
SANTA FE — New Mexico Health Secretary Retta Ward died in Santa Fe this morning after an apparent medical episode that led to a car crash, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office says. Ward, 62, had headed the department, the largest state agency, since January 2013. She previously served as Cabinet secretary of the Aging and Long-Term […]
New Mexico Legislature Kills Marijuana Legalization Bill For 2016
SANTA FE, N.M. — A proposal to legalize and tax recreational marijuana use in New Mexico was voted down tonight on a 17-24 vote in the Senate, with six Senate Democrats joining Republicans in casting “no” votes against the measure. A proposed constitutional amendment, Senate Joint Resolution 5 would have been placed on the November ballot if […]
New York’s Medical Marijuana Companies Getting Ready for January Launch
It’s been nearly 18 months since Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation to legalize medical marijuana, and with only a few weeks left before the Compassionate Care Act is due to take effect, the five companies licensed to grow and sell cannabis are rushing to meet the deadline. The legislation, which has been derided as too restrictive, allows […]
Marijuana in Wonderland: Making Sense of a Judge’s Anti-Cannabis Ruling
By Barry Gainsburg “When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’ ” — Lewis Carroll, from Through the Looking Glass Last week, the U.S. District Court in Northern California declined to declare the federal classification of marijuana […]
California Lab to Test New Mexico Pot
Regulators prepare to impose new rules Cannabis patients who have been demanding safe access and reliable dosages in New Mexico will soon be able to inhale and ingest with a little less trepidation. SFR has learned that just a few hours after publishing a story on Wednesday about the state’s only approved private testing laboratory […]
Marijuana Legalization Proposal Advances in New Mexico
Today, for the first time in history, a legislative committee voted in favor of taxing and regulating marijuana in New Mexico. On a vote of 5-4 New Mexico State Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino’s (D-12-Bernalillo) Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJR2) passed the Senate Rules Committee. SJR2 would allow for the possession and personal use of […]
New Mexico: Appeals Court Says Medicinal Marijuana Costs Covered By Workers’ Comp
Santa Fe, NM–(ENEWSPF)–October 16, 2014. Employers and insurance companies are legally obligated to cover the expense of medical cannabis for employees injured on the job, the New Mexico Court of Appeals has affirmed. Writing for the court in Vialpando v. Ben’s Automotive Services, Judge James Wechsler opined that the use of marijuana for pain management […]
