SANTA FE, N.M. — For the fourth year in a row, the legislature is being asked to consider taxing and regulating the sale of small, personal use amounts of marijuana, though the reform effort is a longshot this short session, advocates agree.
Still, Rep. Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, and four other urban Democrat representatives filed the Cannabis Taxation and Regulation Act bill on Jan. 31.
House Bill 312 would create a Division of Cannabis Control to “regulate and administer” the sale of cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, and collect fees in connection with commercial and medical cannabis programs.
“Legalizing small amounts of marijuana will also increase tax revenue and remove millions in sales from the criminal market, putting that money into the New Mexico economy. The marijuana industry will immediately create one of NM’s most lucrative industries, bigger than film, pecan, chile, and craft beer,” Emily Kaltenbach, New Mexico director for the Drug Policy Alliance, said in a news release.
Top photo courtesy of Adobe Stock
