Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham began her push to try to win over skeptics on the issue of legalizing recreational marijuana use on Thursday, telling Albuquerque business leaders the policy shift would immediately create 11,000 jobs and generate tax dollars that could be used on public safety programs. With a 30-day legislative session scheduled to start […]
New Mexico
New Mexico Issues Health Warning and Order Mandating That Licensees Include A Warning Label On All Cannabis Derived Vape Products
Last Thursday, Kathyleen M. Kunkel, Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Health, issued the following order to Medical Marijuana licensees. Public Health Order the Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Health October 3, 2019 Warning Labels for Cannabis-Derived Vaping Products Containing Tetrabydrocannabinol (THC) WHEREAS, as of October 3, 2019, the Centers […]
New Mexico judge says DOH will have to issue medical cannabis cards to out-of-state residents
A state district court judge on Monday ordered the state’s Medical Cannabis Program to start issuing medical cannabis cards to individuals who qualify, regardless of where they live. The question of whether non-residents of New Mexico could become medical cannabis patients started when major changes to the state’s medical cannabis law went into effect. One […]
Gov. Lujan Grisham creates cannabis legalization task force
SANTA FE – Recent attempts to legalize recreational marijuana use in New Mexico have come up short at the Roundhouse, but Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is laying the groundwork for a legalization bill to make it to her desk in 2020. The first-term Democratic governor on Friday announced the creation of a Cannabis Legalization Working […]
New Mexico might become first in nation to endorse state-run medical marijuana shops
New Mexico would become the first U.S. state to set up its own government-operated marijuana stores and subsidize medical cannabis for the poor under a bill brokered between Republicans and Democrats, as a new wave of states weighs legislation that would legalize recreational sales and consumption. The idea for state-run pot shops comes from a […]
The Latest: New Mexico House endorses recreational marijuana
A proposal to authorize recreational marijuana sales and consumption for people 21 and over in New Mexico has been endorsed by the New Mexico House of Representatives. By a 36-34 vote Thursday, the Democrat-led House passed a bill that would regulate and tax marijuana sales largely through state-operated stores. Marijuana products would be sold on […]
Bipartisan backing for marijuana legalization in New Mexico
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 […]
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 […]
