Despite the first of April always being used as a day to announce entirely false news such as IHOP changing its name to IHOB(urgers) or Kid Rock running for Senate in Michigan, April 1st, 2022 was undoubtedly a historic day for cannabis reform on the state level in New Mexico.
A momentous occasion in the ongoing battle to legalize cannabis nationwide, even in the face of the admittedly dying breed of prohibitionists who are aging quicker than they can say the words “gateway drug” as they hate watch Tucker Carlson telling them that smoking cannabis will turn you into a socialist.
On the state level, Texas continues looking foolish regarding its cannabis policies as their enchanted neighbor to the west celebrated their first day of recreational cannabis sales. New Mexico also known as The Land of Enchantment is officially selling cannabis recreationally to resounding success. While Texas law enforcement and mainly just Dan Patrick insist on ignoring the undeniable economic benefits, their western neighbor made almost $2 million in their first day of recreational sales.
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Furthermore, the entire first weekend of recreational sales in New Mexico showed the revenue possibilities for legalizing cannabis in states nowhere near as overpopulated as California. Even if The Land of Enchantment’s eastern neighbor will be one of the last prohibitionist dominoes to fall primarily thanks to everyone’s favorite radio show host turned Lieutenant Governor, New Mexico is showing how economically prosperous cannabis can be for the American Southwest.
In a press release from The Office of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, the state calculated a total of $5.2 million sold in both recreational and medical cannabis products from the inaugural weekend of adult-use legalization. A financial figure that high wasn’t necessarily surprising, as over $650,000 of products were sold within the first 12 hours of legalization and continued to skyrocket from there. To break $5 million in sales may have at first seemed unlikely as New Mexico has less than a tenth of Texas’ population at barely over two million people.
Whereas their Eastern neighbor’s representatives will cling to the reefer madness past for dear life and fight against cannabis reform until their dying breath apparently. New Mexico has moved forward with an adult-use plan even less restrictive than certain states that have had recreational cannabis for years. While Nevada only allows one ounce of flower to be purchased within a 24-hour period, New Mexico allows for up to two ounces of flower to be purchased. As for cannabis concentrates, New Mexico is far more relaxed on their possession and/or purchasing limit. New Mexico allows for a whopping 16 grams of concentrate compared to Nevada only allowing 3.5 grams of concentrate sold at most.
For patients and consumers who’d rather grow their own cannabis, those options are available as well. Up to 12 plants are allowed under New Mexico’s laws, far more than the measly 6 allowed in Nevada.
Beyond the millions in retail sales, the employment-related benefits of recreational cannabis in New Mexico are noteworthy. Governor Lujan Grisham estimates that approximately 11,000 jobs will be created with the legalization of cannabis and several thousand more likely to be created as New Mexico cannabis expands. Local counties also won’t be able to fully ban cannabis sales although they may be able to amend operating hours for dispensaries, meaning that a Colorado situation of several counties in a legal state explicitly prohibiting recreational cannabis sales won’t happen in New Mexico.
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The press release also profiles the far more progressive-minded individuals in charge of regulating and overseeing the New Mexico cannabis industry.
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“New Mexico was ready for this historic opportunity to end prohibition,” said Cannabis Control Division Director Kristen Thomson. “Whether it’s people moving from the illicit market to the safe, regulated legal market or brand-new customers excited to try high-quality New Mexico products for the first time, New Mexicans supported cannabis businesses in record numbers this weekend.”
Passed during the 2021 Legislative Session of New Mexico, The Cannabis Regulation Act guaranteed recreational sales starting by April 1 and an estimated $300 million in total annual sales and $50 million in estimated tax revenue. With a conservative tax rate of 18 percent at absolute max, New Mexico’s tax rate is far more preferable compared to Nevada’s 25 percent or Washington’s 37 percent. The bill also has protective measures against unnecessary hardships that law-abiding cannabis users face in other states, such as parental rights being revoked and the violation of parole or probation due to cannabis use. However, the following is a big exception that New Mexican cannabis users celebrating recreational legalization must pay attention to.
Although cannabis is legal to purchase for adults 21 and up, employers may still terminate employees if they choose to do so for testing positive for THC. Such employment protections could be included in future legislation on par with Nevada’s bill that outlawed denying employment for testing positive for cannabis, but until then such is a possible reality for cannabis users in the Land of Enchantment.
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On the probable cause standpoint, Texas police would dread this bill because it prohibits cannabis odor from being considered probable cause and grounds for a search. In a manner that would further piss off Texas cops, an accompanying bill with the Cannabis Regulation Act allows for automatic expungement for cannabis offenses, meaning that New Mexico is doing their part to write the colossal wrongs committed by the Drug War just in their state alone.
To the west, Arizona voted to legalize cannabis in 2020 and from their first full year of recreational sales combined with medical sold a total of $1.4 billion dollars. With the newest addition of New Mexico, the American Southwest could soon become its own prosperous multi-billion dollar corner of the Legal States. And with this region’s geographical connection to states with far older and more experienced recreational industries, this proximity could be beneficial for New Mexico and Arizona.