Some hope marijuana could replace harmful prescription drugs and play a role in fighting the ongoing opioid epidemic in New Mexico. At the end of the day, legalization is not a panacea. Rather, it is a trade-off between costs and benefits and the implementation of an effective health regulatory and surveillance infrastructure. New Mexico`s Healthy Workplaces Act (HWA), enacted by the signing of House Bill 20, requires all Northern Mediterranean employers (with at least one employee) to grant employees paid sick leave. This law will come into force on July 1, 2022. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the bill into law in April 2021, acknowledging that the need for paid sick leave has been increased by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of April 1, 2022, adult customers will be able to purchase two ounces of cannabis or the equivalent in another form. Prohibited Behaviour and Punishments The use and legalization of marijuana is gaining acceptance. Nationally, the proportion of people aged 12 and older who use marijuana has increased from 11% in 2002 to nearly 18% in 2020. [1] New Mexico was close to the national average at 18.7% in 2020, while Texas was below at 12.5%. The 18- to 25-year-olds had the highest utilization rate at 34.5%, an increase of 4.7 percentage points since 2002. The New Mexico Green Amendment was proposed during the 2021 legislature.
Although it has not yet entered into force, its supporters hope that the proposal, which now has 23 co-sponsors and is supported by more than 40 organizations, will come into force during the 2022 legislature. The New Mexico Green Amendment aims to establish climate stability and a protected environment as state rights under the New Mexico Constitution. This would prevent future governors from rolling back existing environmental regulations and safeguards. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Thursday that widespread marijuana legalization is meeting public demand and creating opportunities for small businesses. But there is more to it than its legality. New Mexico`s legalization laws also include a focus on social justice, which aims to provide redress and benefits to underrepresented groups disproportionately affected by cannabis prohibition. But the state`s social justice agenda is not yet in place and the timeline is unclear.
This is one of NM`s biggest shortcomings to date. New Mexico is among 18 states that have legalized recreational cannabis, with implications for cannabis tourism, and conservative Texas, where legalization efforts have made little progress. Proponents of marijuana legalization point to its economic benefits, including increased tax revenue. But states that legalized and taxed recreational and/or medical marijuana earned an average of only 0.8% of government revenue in 2020 (Figure 1). In comparison, taxes on sins account for 2.8% of state tax revenue. LeRoy Roybal, manager of a marijuana dispensary, right, and Benjamin Oliver, tender buds, prepare for the opening of New Mexico`s regulated recreational cannabis market at a Minerva Canna store in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. Morgan Lee/AP Hide the legend Critics argue that legalization increases the accessibility and use of marijuana, which is associated with negative health effects. especially in chronic users. The expected benefits and costs partially offset each other, but there is considerable uncertainty about them. Proponents tout the benefits of legalization — better access to marijuana`s medicinal properties, a new source of tax revenue and job creation, and a lighter burden on law enforcement. In addition, legislation has been signed to regulate and support the sale of cannabis by small businesses.
On April 1, 2022, recreational cannabis sales will begin in New Mexico. The state government has agreed to provide up to $250,000 in loans to eligible cannabis-related small businesses (licensed to grow and sell marijuana from up to 200 plants). The New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA) has approved a $5 million line of credit for cannabis-related commercial loans. Cannabis entrepreneurs eligible for the new business loan can extend the loan for up to five years, with interest rates ranging from 2% to 3%. The application process for cannabis-related commercial loans is expected to open in February 2022. SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico is bringing recreational marijuana sales to the doorstep of Texas, the largest Prohibition state, as the movement toward widespread legalization captures even more of the American West. Several new changes for current and future notaries in New Mexico, effective through the signing of New Mexico Senate Bill 12, will take effect on January 1, 2022. New Mexico Senate Bill 12 enacts the Revised Uniform Notarial Acts Act (RULONA).
Under this new law, notaries in our state will be allowed to perform online legalizations remotely for the first time. On Friday, April 1, 2022, the sale of adult-use cannabis in New Mexico officially began. New Mexicans aged 21 and older can now start buying cannabis in retail stores. The start of adult sales comes exactly 366 days after Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the Cannabis Regulation Act.