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A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 13 March 2019
New Mexico bill would create first state-run pot shops in U.S.

By MORGAN LEE said state-run stores can
Associated Press prevent the proliferation of
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New pot shops that some other
Mexico would become the states have witnessed, and
first U.S. state to set up its provide retail shelf space
own government-operat- at a low cost to fledgling
ed marijuana stores and marijuana producers.
subsidize medical canna- "You drive through Anonito
bis for the poor under a bill and you used to not even
brokered between Repub- have a gas station, and
licans and Democrats, as a now it has four marijuana
new wave of states weighs shops," said Pirtle, describ-
legislation that would legal- ing a Colorado town of
ize recreational sales and 750 residents near the New
consumption. Mexico state line. "I know in
The idea for state-run pot my district that's not what
shops comes from a trio of they want downtown to
GOP state senators who look like, so this would help."
broke with local Repub- A number of U.S. states re-
lican Party orthodoxy to tain a monopoly on liquor
embrace legal marijuana sales through state-oper-
with a decidedly big-gov- ated stores — a regulatory
ernment approach that option that dates back to
would have the state di- prohibition. Several prov-
rectly oversee most sales — inces in Canada, which le-
and require that marijuana galized marijuana last year,
consumers carry receipts of In this Wednesday, March 6, 2019 photo, Korbin Osborn, left, works as a cannabis adviser at a sell cannabis exclusively
purchase or confront pen- medical marijuana dispensary in Santa Fe, N.M. through government-run
alties. Associated Press retail and online stores.
Those provisions were sown In New Mexico, some pri-
into Democrat-sponsored juana are underway in New licking, multibillion-dollar dren from poor and minor- vate dispensaries would be
legislation that contains York and New Jersey, while marijuana industry. In addi- ity families. allowed in remote areas at
currents of social justice, in- a bill to legalize recreation- tion, marijuana production New Mexico would levy least 25 miles (40 kilome-
cluding a provision to sub- al cannabis in Democrat- licenses would come with a 17 percent tax on rec- ters) from the nearest state-
sidize medical cannabis for dominated Hawaii fizzled an in-state residency re- reational marijuana sales run pot shop.
poor people with "debili- last week. quirement of two years. and allow possession of State-run stores are among
tating medical conditions" In New Mexico, a coterie "It puts some parameters up to 1 ounce (28 grams). a host of provisions that
who might not otherwise of powerful conservative around it," Wirth said. "The Local governments can respond to experiences in
be able to afford treat- Democrats still stands in the state can monitor what opt out, forgoing tax pro- states with voter-approved
ment. Tax dollars from rec- way of a Senate floor vote it looks like and how it ex- ceeds in the process. State legalization, where regu-
reational marijuana sales on legalization. pands." tax proceeds would fund lations were sometimes
would fund employment "It's not a priority," said Democratic Gov. Michelle detection technologies forged by lawmakers af-
and counseling programs Democratic Sen. John Ar- Lujan Grisham has ex- and training for police to ter the fact, whether they
in communities "dispropor- thur Smith of Deming, who pressed guarded support identify impaired drivers. sought legalization or not.
tionately affected by past will decide whether the for recreational marijuana Businesses could maintain House Democrats in New
federal and state drug poli- marijuana bill is heard by — provided the legislation "zero-tolerance" policies for Mexico, where ballot initia-
cies," including training to the Senate Finance Com- addresses concerns about drug testing as a condition tives aren't available, say
enter the marijuana sector. mittee, a final hurdle be- child access, impaired driv- of employment. they spent years exploring
Carly Wolf, state policies fore a Senate vote. Smith ing, workplace safety and Sponsors say the bill would policies and tax provisions
coordinator at the Na- does not favor legalization safeguarding the state's safeguard New Mexico's for a bill that now includes
tional Organization for and worries about harmful existing marijuana market medical marijuana pro- funding for research on the
the Reform of Marijuana effects of marijuana on the for medical patients. gram by removing taxes on health effect of legaliza-
Laws, says the provisions for brain. "If the Legislature can medical pot to keep down tion.
state-run stores and medi- Sen. Peter Wirth, the cham- check those boxes, bring it prices and ensure its 70,000 "One of the benefits of do-
cal cannabis subsidization ber's Democratic majority on," Nora Sackett, a spokes- participants don't flock to ing it through the legislative
both would be new to the leader, believes legaliza- woman for Lujan Grisham, the recreational market. At process is you just jump into
United States, as New Mex- tion would prevail in a floor said in an email. least four other states forgo the nuanced details," said
ico seeks to become the vote. He said support from New Mexico has watched taxes on medical marijua- Emily Kaltenbach, state di-
first state to set up a com- a contingent of Senate Re- neighboring Colorado's na. rector of the nonpartisan
plete regulatory framework publicans has redrawn the pioneering decision to le- New Mexico also would Drug Policy Alliance that
through legislation. political battle on marijua- galize and tax marijuana authorize marijuana con- favors decriminalization.
Ten states and Washington, na along generational lines with a mixture of appre- sumption "lounges" for "You iron those out."
D.C., have legalized recre- rather than partisan affilia- hension and envy, as law- smoking and vaping — or In negotiations over a fi-
ational marijuana — all by tion. makers in Santa Fe struggle eating any number of mar- nal bill, local governments
ballot initiative except Ver- Wirth also called the con- to find stable sources of tax ijuana-infused confections gained a greater share
mont, which allowed for cept of state-run pot shops revenue to improve public and foods — though the bill of tax proceeds to spend
personal use and growing — that would sell marijuana education and raise teach- offers few details on regula- on anything from roads
but is still debating whether on consignment without er salaries. The judiciary is tory oversight. to counseling for drug ad-
to authorize commercial owning or producing it — threatening to intervene in Republican Sen. Cliff Pirtle, diction, and Republicans
production and sales. a political game changer school funding decisions, a dairy farmer from Roswell, held on to prohibitions on
Other legislative efforts to that allays anxiety about citing inadequate educa- in a conservative political homegrown recreational
legalize recreational mari- welcoming the nation's rol- tional opportunities for chil- stronghold of the state, marijuana.q