New York governor to send amended marijuana legalization plan to lawmakers amid criticism

A New Mexico House committee on Monday approved a comprehensive bill to legalize marijuana.

The legislation of Representative Javier Martinez (D) is one of several legalization proposals that were presented during the 2021 session. Another reform bill sponsored by Representative Tara Lujan (D) was also considered by the Health and Social Services Committee on Monday but was rejected.

The panel issued a rejection recommendation for Martinez’s bill in a 7-4 vote, advancing it to additional committees before it could possibly move to a floor-level vote. Lujan’s legislation was tabled in a 7-4 vote.

Under the approved measure, adults 21 and older would be allowed to own “at least” two ounces of cannabis and grow up to six mature and six immature plants for their personal use. It would also create a system of regulated and taxed cannabis sales.

The bill is favored by reform supporters because, unlike other House and Senate measures, it would specifically use tax revenue from sales of marijuana to support reinvestments in communities most affected by the war against Drugs. It is also distinguished by the inclusion of provisions aimed at automatically erasing previous cannabis convictions.

Martinez’s proposal would require rules for the market to be implemented by January 2022. Existing medical marijuana dispensaries, meanwhile, would be allowed to launch adult sales from October.

The committee held a hearing on the two House bills on Saturday, but the meeting went on for a long time, so members did not vote to move it forward. They did, however, adopt an alternate version of the Martinez proposal at the initial meeting.

A provision requiring people to be able to prove that the marijuana they own was purchased from a legal source has been removed. Members also rescinded a provision limiting sales of accessories to licensed dispensaries.

In addition, the revised bill approved by the committee would also ensure that tribal governments can participate in the new industry. It would also allow small businesses that obtain so-called microenterprise licenses to start operating ahead of large businesses in order to give them a head start.

NOW: HB 12 – Cannabis Regulation Act obtains a Do Pass from the House Health and Human Services Committee. #nmleg #nmpol pic.twitter.com/10Brm3xZbr

– NM House Democrats (@NMHouseDems) February 15, 2021

During Monday’s meeting, lawmakers discussed additional amendments, but it was agreed that they would be better dealt with later, either in separate committees or on the floor.

The separate House legalization bill that the committee discussed is narrower in scope than Martinez’s legislation. This would create a system of regulated commercial cannabis sales and impose a 20% sales tax on marijuana products, the proceeds of which would be used to fund state and local governments.

Lujan’s bill does not include the radiation and social equity measures that HB 12 has and would only decriminalize home cultivation. Growing up to three plants would result in a fine of $ 500, and anything more than that would remain a crime. The proposal would limit the number of commercial production licenses that could be issued, which is another difference from Bill Martinez, which would prevent the state from setting such restrictions.

The wording of Lujan’s bill is identical to the separate legislation sponsored by Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D) that was tabled earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Sen. Cliff Pirtle (right), who tabled a legalization bill in 2019 that would have created a state-run market, also recently presented a reform proposal that would create a private commercial industry. This would allow adults 21 and older to buy and own up to two ounces of marijuana.

A third Senate legalization proposal, sponsored by Senator Jacob Candelaria (D), is similar to Martinez’s bill. All three have been referred to the Senate Committee on Taxation, Business and Transport, but hearings are not yet scheduled.

Martinez’s bill then heads to the House Tax and Revenue Committee, which he chairs.

# HB12 is operational! Join us as we work towards a smart, compassionate and fair cannabis legalization framework. #nmleg # @ARomero_NM @DPANewMexico @NMHouseDems https://t.co/hpreoUGg9X

– Representative Javier Martínez (@JavierForNM) February 14, 2021

For her part, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) has spoken on several occasions about the need to legalize as a way to boost the economy, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. She said in a state of state speech this month that “a crisis like the one we experienced last year can be seen as a loss or as an invitation to rethink the status quo – to be ambitious, creative and daring. “

The governor also included the legalization of cannabis as part of her 2021 legislative program which she released last month and said in a recent interview that she was “still very optimistic about cannabis” this session.

This optimism is reinforced by the fact that several anti-legalization Democrats, including the acting Senate speaker and the chairman of the Finance Committee, were ousted by progressive challengers last year.

Additional pressure to end the cannabis ban this year comes from neighboring Arizona, where voters approved legalization in November and sales officially started last week.

New Mexico shares another border with Colorado, one of the first states to legalize adult use. Cannabis is also set to be legalized across Mexico’s southern border, with lawmakers facing a Supreme Court mandate to end the ban by April.

Last year, a bill to legalize cannabis for adult use was passed by one New Mexico Senate committee only to be defeated by another before the end of the 30-day session.

Earlier, in 2019, the House approved a legalization bill that included provisions to place marijuana sales primarily in state stores, but he died in the Senate. Later in the year, Lujan Grisham formed a task force to study the legalization of cannabis and make recommendations.

Polls indicate voters are ready for the policy change. A survey released in October found that a strong majority of New Mexico residents support legalization with social fairness provisions in place, and about half support decriminalization of drug possession more generally.

Last May, the governor indicated that she plans to actively campaign against lawmakers who blocked her legalization bill in 2020. She also said she was willing to let voters decide on the policy change. via a ballot referendum if lawmakers cannot send a legalization bill to his office.

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Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen.