Two Democratic New Mexico state Representatives have pre-filed legislation that would legalize adult-use cannabis in the state, setting up a system of licensing and taxes. The bill is sponsored by Representatives Bill McCamley and Javier Martínez.
According to the bill text, the Cannabis Revenue and Freedom Act would allow personal possession of 1 ounce of cannabis in public, two inside a person’s home, and up to 7 grams of concentrates. It provides home grow provisions for up to six plants per-person, so long as the number of plants grown in one residence does not exceed 12 and the total amount of cannabis on-hand from home grows does not exceed 8 ounces. The bill also permits for in-home processing, with caps set at 16 ounces of concentrates in “solid form,” and 72 ounces in “liquid form.”
“The purpose of the Cannabis Revenue and Freedom Act is…to eliminate problems caused by the prohibition and uncontrolled manufacture, possession and delivery of marijuana within New Mexico; [and] to protect the peace, health, safety and welfare of the people of this state by prioritizing the state’s limited law enforcement resources in the most effective way,” the bill states.
An 11-member governor-appointed Cannabis Control Board would be created, and would include two members licensed under the act, two medical or health professionals, one patient, one member of the public, one banking or financing professional, one member of the regulation and licensing department, and one member each from the state Agriculture, Health, and Environment departments.
A portion of the funds raised from the state’s cannabis tax – set at 15 percent statewide allowing for another 5 percent levied by individual municipalities and counties – would be used to subsidize medical cannabis for low-income patients.
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