SANTA
FE, N.M. — A Democrat-backed bill to legalize recreational marijuana
businesses in all towns and counties across New Mexico passed its first
test late Tuesday amid heightened interested from businesses and health
care advocates.
The
Senate Public Affairs Committee voted 4-3 along party lines to move
along the measure that would subsidize medical marijuana and
automatically expunge many past pot convictions.
The committee had to
convene on the Senate floor to accommodate crowds around a proposal that
would subsidize medical marijuana for low-income patients and expunge
many past pot convictions.
An
initial draft of the bill from Democratic Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino
of Albuquerque would also override local governments that don’t welcome
the industry. The condition is an attempt to stamp out black markets.
“This
is the future,” Ben Lewinger, executive director of the New Mexico
Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, told lawmakers. “New Mexico doesn't have
time to waste precious years.”
But
the future of the bill remain uncertain as it moves to the Senate
Judiciary Committee, where chairman Senator Joseph Cervantes, a moderate
Democrat from Las Cruces, has said he had concerns about legalizing
recreational marijuana in the state.
Under
the proposal, every r ecreational dispensary would be required to also
offer medical marijuana to patients who qualify under a long list of
conditions such as cancer, post-traumatic stress and chronic pain. New
Mexico founded its medical cannabis program in 2007.
The
initiative was condemned as a threat to workplace and roadway safety by
a coalition that includes the local Roman Catholic Church, Greater
Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and Smart Approaches to Marijuana — a
nonpartisan group opposed to marijuana legalization.
“With
New Mexico routinely ranked near the bottom of the country in terms of
education, overall economy, opportunity, drug use, and crime, this is
the worst possible option at the worst possible time,” said a statement
from Allen Sanchez, executive director of the New Mexico Conference of
Catholic Bishops.
Lincoln
County Sheriff Robert Shepperd said the state's law enforcement leaders
also have concerns over how deputies will spot motorists suspected of
driving under the influence of marijuana.
“In
order to take a swab of the mouth, we need to get a warrant,” Shepperd
said. “How do we do that? There's just a lot of questions. I think we
need to slow down and not rush this.”
Terri
Cole, president and CEO at Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce,
said businesses also were worried about the lack of technology to test
employees for marijuana use especially because of federal contract
requirements.
“Somebody's
worker's comp is going to go through the roof,” Republican Senate
Minority Leader Stuart Ingle said. “Did this cause you to have an
accident on the job?”
Authors
of the legislation say it responds to concerns about affordability and
access to medical marijuana in states including Oregon that have
authorized recreational marijuana. No state yet mandates medical
cannabis sales at all marijuana shops, according to the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
A
bipartisan legalization bill last year that involved state-run cannabis
stores won House approval by a two-vote margin before stalling in the
Senate, where several moderate Democrats have openly opposed
legalization.
Deliberations
begin this year in the Senate, where a handful of Republicans have
backed past legalization efforts and some Democrats are firmly against
it.
This
year's initiative hews closely to recommendations of a legalization
policy task force assembled by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and led by
Albuquerque city councilor Pat Davis.
The
bill would reserve tax revenue from marijuana sales for law enforcement
agencies and public education efforts to prevent intoxicated driving.
It breaks with task force recommendations by allowing small quantities of home grown marijuana.
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