New Mexico Legislature eyes recreational pot legalization

SANTA FE, N.M. — A Democrat-backed bill to legalize recreational marijuana businesses in all towns and counties across New Mexico was set to get its first public vetting Tuesday by lawmakers.

A legislative committee will convene in the afternoon on the Senate floor to accommodate crowds amid intense interest in a bill that would subsidize medical marijuana for low-income patients and expunge many past pot convictions.

An initial draft of the bill from Democratic Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino of Albuquerque would also override local governments that don’t welcome the industry. The condition is an attempt to stamp out black markets.

Every recreational dispensary would be required to also offer medical marijuana to patients who qualify under a long list of conditions such as cancer, post-traumatic stress and chronic pain. New Mexico founded its medical cannabis program in 2007.

The initiative is being condemned as a threat to workplace and roadway safety by a coalition that includes the local Roman Catholic Church, Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and Smart Approaches to Marijuana — a nonpartisan group opposed to marijuana legalization.

“With New Mexico routinely ranked near the bottom of the country in terms of education, overall economy, opportunity, drug use, and crime, this is the worst possible option at the worst possible time,” said a statement from Allen Sanchez, executive director of the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops. [Read More @ The Washington Post]

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