Shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that abortion is not a right covered by the U.S. Constitution, award-winning actress Bette Midler posted a doctored photo of the New Mexico welcome sign on Twitter. , added the words “We have chile, weed, and reproductive rights,” referring to the fact that state legislators have eliminated criminal penalties for abortion and the state has legalized recreational cannabis. it was done. Hours later, Gov. Michel Lejean Grisham’s re-election campaign jumped at the opportunity, reposted the photo Added the words, “And we’ll keep it that way.”
If Lujan Grisham’s Republican opponent and former television meteorologist Mark Ronchetti wins the election in November, he will likely push for changes to state abortion laws, but his campaign is likely to continue in the state. Little has been said about whether to push for cannabis regulation change.activities.
Medical Cannabis Patients and Cannabis Business Owners I Talked To NM Political Report While there have been mixed opinions on cannabis and the upcoming gubernatorial election and how each candidate will affect current legislation, most agree that there is still work to be done when it comes to the state’s cannabis industry. I agree.
Alyssa Pearson, chief operating officer of cannabis company Dr. Green Organics Co., said her business is in the final stages of opening a cannabis retail store in Mesilla Park in southern New Mexico. Pearson declined to say who she plans to vote for in the next election, but she said lawmakers and governors would address what she sees as necessary changes to current legislation. she said she would like to.
“At this point, ambivalence is all it takes to kill a small business like ours,” Pearson said. “I know that’s something my business partners and I would never want to do, vote for someone who could potentially jeopardize the viability of cannabis’ social equity mission. Because it’s such a big deal for us. This should be the economic development of New Mexico for New Mexicans who don’t vote for the microbusiness changes we want, or Those who do not sign the bill endanger our future and, in our minds, the future of others like us who are using this as a potential stepping stone.
The law currently limits a class of small cannabis growers known as cannabis microbusinesses to 250 flowering cannabis plants. However, the law leaves the details of large scale operations to rules and regulations. That means Congress needs to amend the law to raise plant limits for small cannabis businesses. Larger businesses that are not classified as micro enterprises can have up to 20,000 flowering plants. State fees are lower for smaller cannabis businesses, but these businesses must pay the same amount for rent and equipment. Small cannabis businesses are also prohibited by law from buying wholesale cannabis from large producers.
Pearson also wants legislatures and governors to work towards free, or at least inexpensive, options for training and certifying retail employees, often referred to as “batenders.”
But while Lujan Grisham and a handful of lawmakers have hinted that amendments to the cannabis control law are forthcoming, Ronchetti’s campaign reflects his feelings about legalized cannabis and how he feels about the cannabis control law. They are mostly silent about whether they want any changes to be made.
In the questionnaire of albuquerque journalRonchetti expressed concerns about public safety, but did not provide details about what changes he would push.
“New Mexico should be the most aggressive state in the nation in keeping marijuana away from children and prosecuting drug driving. A driver murdered a motorcyclist, and that Monday, 14 elementary school students ate marijuana food that their children had brought to school,” Ronchetti said. journal.
Ronchetti’s campaign failed to meet many demands regarding his specific plans for cannabis control legislation.
Some medical cannabis patients registered as Republicans have agreed that inaction with current cannabis laws will harm the industry. But Josh McCurdy, a Republican, medical marijuana patient and cannabis advocate working in the industry, said he originally voted for Rujan Grisham because of her promise to legalize cannabis. . But he said legalizing cannabis was less of a wedge issue, and Republicans who supported legalization were more likely to vote for Ronchetti in the hopes of understanding the money-making potential of cannabis. I’m guessing.
“To be honest, as far as all the temperature sensors I get from the Red Team are concerned, they’re game to make money off of it,” McCurdy said.
McCurdy has seen people poised to make money off cannabis in his travels through rural and conservative New Mexico.
“You can’t deny the numbers,” McCurdy said. “Who wants to be that motherfucker?”
One of McCurdy’s business partners, Chad Lozano, has not always been politically aligned with McCurdy, but he has called for a cap on the state’s cannabis excise tax, regardless of who wins the November gubernatorial election. I agree that is a priority.
“If taxes were too high, too high, or allowed local governments to impose their own surcharges and taxes, like what they are doing now, it would only feed the black market. The market is not shrinking,” Lozano said.
The current cannabis excise tax rate is 12%, but when combined with the gross income tax, the total is about 20 or 21%. Domestic experts mostly agree that a 20% tax is sufficient to generate tax revenue, but low enough to compete with the illicit market. The Cannabis Control Act calls for a gradual increase in the cannabis excise tax to 20% over the next few years, but when combined with the gross income tax, the total amount approaches 30%.
Lozano said he, like Pearson, hopes whoever wins the election will take action to renew the state’s cannabis laws. His political adviser now works for the Ronchetti campaign, but few changes have been made to the state’s medical marijuana laws. Although the number of medical cannabis producers increased under Martinez, her health secretary resisted adding opioid use disorder to the list of eligibility for using medical cannabis.
“That’s my main fear. [Martinez]It just stagnate, nothing happens, nothing gets better,” says Lozano.
Some are critical of both Lujan Grisham and Ronchetti.
Ginger Grider, who failed to run as a libertarian write-in candidate in the 2022 primary, said she had not voted for anyone for governor, including her former libertarian opponent Karen Bedney. said he would not vote for Lujan Grisham, but that the incumbent was more likely to be selected for single-issue cannabis voters.
“I wouldn’t vote for MLG, but if anyone had a cannabis-led vote, she’d probably be the most rational choice out of the three — neither cannabis, nor the anti-cannabis business,” Grider said. said.
Gridder raises the issue with Lujan Grisham because what Gridder said was dishonest. did. Lujan Grisham eventually signed a bill that drastically changed the state’s medical cannabis program, but her health ministry only increased production licenses shortly before recreational cannabis was legalized, and then , she approved only one new license.
“She absolutely, completely lied,” Glider said. “You know, when she was running for governor, if you remember, she promised in her first 100 days that she would do all sorts of magical bullshit for the medical program, but It didn’t come true.”
As for Ronchetti, Grider said he was only following the party’s orders and that single-issue cannabis voters should avoid voting for him.
“I don’t vote for Ronchetti, and I don’t think a cannabis-driven person should, because he’s a product of the machine. He’s the face, he’s the suit,” Glider said.
Grider’s husband Heath, who switched registrations from Republican to Libertarian to vote for Ginger in the primary, accused Ronchetti of following the party’s point rather than speaking from the heart.
“We see him pandering really hard to the geriatric republican nonsense,” Heath said.
Heath, who is active in his local Republican Party, has also criticized what he calls the Republican party’s “obsession” with sexuality and cannabis.
One of the industry’s most vocal critics of Lujan Grisham said Ronchetti’s silence on cannabis leaned in Lujan Grisham’s favor.
Duke Rodriguez, president and CEO of cannabis company Ultra Health, has long criticized and sometimes sued Lujan Grisham and state regulators over cannabis rules and regulations. is one of the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against health insurance companies that said it would not cover the purchase of Rodriguez has criticized Lujan Grisham on various issues, but at least the public is generally aware of her views.
“We know where she stands, so it’s a lot easier to criticize her,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t give her an A in cannabis leadership. I give her a B- maybe a C. But remember, she submits her work and we grade it Did.
But Rodriguez said Ronchetti “shouldn’t get a free pass” either. Using the same test analogy, Rodriguez said of Ronchetti: [Ronchetti] He didn’t even show up. ”
