Regulators in New Mexico held a public hearing this week to discuss rules for the state’s forthcoming recreational cannabis market.
The state’s Regulation and Licensing Department, as well as its Cannabis Control Division, fielded questions and comments from the public during last Thursday’s hearing over the rules that will govern cannabis retailers and manufacturers.
According to the local website NM Political Report, the comments at the hearing “varied from proposed regulations for packaging requirements, general business practices to cannabis deliveries to both businesses and residences.”
The meeting was highlighted by the appearance of Katy Duhigg, a Democratic state Senator who also serves as a cannabis attorney in Albuquerque. Duhigg “brought up a series of issues she said she would like to see changed and offered specific suggestions,” according to the website. It was reported that she “took issue with a proposed requirement that cannabis manufactures prove they have access to water rights because manufacturing doesn’t necessarily use water the same way cultivation does.”
“Requiring all manufacturers to prove water rights for their application, I think, is unreasonably burdensome, because it’s just not going to be a factor for a number of them,” Duhigg said, as quoted by NM Political Report.
Lawmakers in New Mexico passed a bill legalizing recreational pot use for adults during a special legislative session in the spring. The legislation was signed into law in April by Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. This means big things for New Mexico, as for the first time ever, they will finally have a legal cannabis industry.
Legislators had failed to pass a legalization bill during the regular 60-day session, prompting Grisham to call a special session to get the proposal