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Hannah GroverFor the Las Cruces Bulletin
While some people in New Mexico have poured their life savings into starting cannabis operations, some are concerned that an illegal market may have cut into profits. That illegal market may also be putting members of the public at risk.
Rep. Doreen Gallegos, D-Las Cruces, sponsored House Bill 10 to address the issue.
“I was concerned, number one, that people had invested their life savings into these cannabis building businesses, and then with the illegal market going on, that they were going to lose everything that they had invested,” Gallegos told the Las Cruces Bulletin. “I was also concerned that if people were going to bring in product, was it going to be laced with other items? Was it safe?”
The bill establishes an enforcement bureau within the state’s Regulation and Licensing Department and gives the new bureau the authority to investigate and enforce violations. This bureau could hire certified peace officers to investigate violations of licensing requirements and individuals who are allegedly defying the Cannabis Regulation Act.
Additionally, the legislation establishes criminal penalties if someone removes, conceals, destroys or disposes of embargoed cannabis products or sells or transfers products that are included in recall orders.
HB 10 received broad bipartisan support, passing the House of Representatives on a 68-1 vote and the Senate on a 25-1 vote. It is now waiting for the governor’s signature.
“This legislation will provide another critical tool for effectively regulating cannabis in New Mexico,” Regulation and Licensing Department Superintendent Clay Bailey said in a press release.
Gallegos said she has had conversations with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham about HB 10 and the governor seems supportive of the effort.
“I’m very, very hopeful that she will sign it very soon,” she said.
Lujan Grisham praised the legislation after it passed and said in a statement that she looks “forward to signing this bill and strengthening the foundation of our regulated cannabis industry.”
The bill not only had bipartisan support on the floor, it also had a bipartisan group of sponsors. In addition to Gallegos, HB 10 was sponsored by Speaker of the House Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, House Minority Floor Leader Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena, and Reps. Marian Matthews, D-Albuquerque, and Art De La Cruz, D-Albuquerque.
On the Senate side, Sen. Linda Trujillo, D-Albuquerque, carried the bill.
“As this industry evolves, it is important to give the [Cannabis Control Division] the tools needed to ensure its sustainability in an environment that is safe for our producers and the public alike,” Trujillo said in a statement following the Senate passage.
Gallegos said part of the reason she sponsored HB 10 was to make sure people who consume cannabis are safe and that products aren’t laced with fentanyl.
She said if people buy from the illegal markets, “it’s like still buying it from your local dealer, and who knows how that’s coming in.”
HB 10 allows state officials with the enforcement bureau to conduct both announced and unannounced inspections. If illegal products are found, or products that the officials suspect may have been altered or fraudulently labeled, it gives those officials the ability to seize those products. The officials could then petition a court for permission to destroy the product.
“We didn’t have the tools we needed to keep New Mexicans safe, and that’s what this bill does,” Gallegos said.
Gallegos said her background in social work and “just knowing how it affects kids and families,” were factors that resonated with her when she decided to sponsor HB 10.
She said legislation should be viewed as living documents that can change. Gallegos referenced past cannabis legislation in New Mexico.
“Just because you do a law doesn’t mean it’s perfect, and you can’t add on to it,” she said.
Gallegos said when cannabis was legalized, “we saw what we didn’t have in place.”
“When we see that things maybe aren’t working the way they should, or that sometimes we just missed a piece, that’s where we can go back and fix it,” she said.
Rep. Doreen Gallegos,
House Bill 10,
illegal market,
cannabis
“}]] While some people in New Mexico have poured their life savings into starting cannabis operations, some are concerned that an illegal market may have cut into profits. That illegal market may also be … Read More
