New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) has called on lawmakers for the legalization of recreational marijuana. After an unsuccessful attempt last year, Lujan Grisham believes this will be the year New Mexico can legalize marijuana.
Second Chance
The governor announced this second-attempt via twitter earlier this month. Lujan Grisham hopes lawmakers will make a bill “legalizing the use of recreational cannabis in New Mexico and establishing a regulatory framework for its use, including public safety considerations, public health safeguards, and the protection of the state’s existing medical cannabis program.”
Beginning Jan. 21, New Mexico lawmakers will meet for 30 days to create this year’s legislature. The legislature will focus on the environment, education, the economy, public safety, and health.
“I announced my priorities for the 2020 legislative session: building on the foundation of Year One and creating a brighter future for students, workers, & families all across New Mexico,” said Lujan Grisham on Twitter. “We are investing for tomorrow while delivering today”
On top of these other priorities, legalizing marijuana will also be on lawmakers’ minds. This would be the second time the state attempted to pass this measure. Last year, the House of Representatives tried to legalize the drug but fell short.
New Support
Lujan Grisham believes this time will be different. After the initial attempt, officials held a handful of meetings to figure out a potential reason as to why the legalization didn’t pass.
According to the panel, the first potential reason is the legalization should include expungements of records related to minor marijuana crimes. Next, the panel agreed that communities affected by the war on drugs should receive aid from the revenue. Finally, home cultivation needs to be further clarified before anything happens.
The lawmakers will take this information into consideration during these next few weeks in an attempt to perfect this measure.
Another reason why Lujan Grisham believes the measure will succeed this time around is because of the new support that has been shown. Officials in New Mexico surveyed around 1,000 people on their opinion on legalizing marijuana. After being shown facts regarding marijuana, 75 percent of participants voted in favor of the legalization.
Moving Forward
There really isn’t much on the table right now other than the governor’s word. Hopefully, the state will see a continuous increase in support, as with the rest of the country. With anything, many people have come out and showed their disapproval of the idea of legalizing marijuana. That doesn’t stop Lujan Grisham. The governor believes this measure will improve the lives of thousands if passed.
“The legalization of recreational cannabis is projected to create 11,000 New Mexico jobs and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue,” said Lujan Grisham in her formal call for the 2020 session.
