New Mexico’s Governor Will Put Cannabis on the 2020 Legislative Calendar

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]N[/dropcap]ew Mexico will soon be deciding whether to legalize recreational cannabis next year.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham stated that she will be adding the topic of recreational cannabis to the 2020 legislative session calendar. The New Mexico House recently passed House Bill 356 (which would have legalized recreational cannabis by 2020) but it was stalled in the Senate due to the need to pass three committees before the end of the session.

HB-356 was the first cannabis proposal that passed a chamber of the state’s legislature and would have created a state-run cannabis market. “Having a state-run store exposes the state to unknown risks and consequences from the federal government. Other states that have legalized the recreational use of marijuana have passed these risks and consequences onto the third-party sellers,” said Gonzales via an email to The Taos News. “A state-run store may stifle innovation and creativity that comes from having the private sector take the lead in this new industry for New Mexico.”

In New Mexico, major policy issues are chosen by the governor to be heard in sessions in even-numbered years. Lujan Grisham said legalization in the state is possible with sufficient protections against child use and impaired driving and complimented the sponsors of the failed cannabis bill.

Although recreational cannabis is still at least a year away, New Mexico legislators did end up passing two cannabis-related bills during the current session. First, Senate Bill 323 reduced penalties for cannabis possession, imposing a $50 fine and a civil citation on someone caught with up to a half-ounce of cannabis. Second, Senate Bill 406 expands access to medical cannabis and gives protection to medical cannabis users for employees or job applicants.

If New Mexico passes recreational cannabis legislation, it could become the 11th U.S. state to legalize adult-use cannabis.