New Mexico was set to be the 16th state to legalize recreational marijuana after lawmakers passed a bill on Wednesday that joined a national movement to reconsider anti-drug laws that are increasingly seen as obstacles to racial justice and the economy.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said she would sign the bill, which would also clear criminal records of people who owned marijuana for personal use. She said in a statement that workers, entrepreneurs and the government will benefit from the new industry, creating jobs and tax revenue.
“And those harmed by this country’s failed drug war, disproportionate color communities, will benefit from our state’s smart, fair and equitable new approach to previous low-level convictions,” she said.
The bill was passed the same day that New York State legalized recreational marijuana. Lawmakers in both states said they were motivated to create a legal, tax-revenue-generating industry that used to run underground and end the arrests for low-level crimes.
New Mexico law allows people over 21 to ingest up to two ounces of marijuana, and individuals can have six plants at home, or up to 12 per household. The sale would begin in April 2022 at the latest and be taxed at 12 percent, eventually at 18 percent plus gross income taxes.
According to a tax analysis quoted by the Albuquerque Journal, the industry is government regulated and will generate estimated revenues of $ 20 million for the state and $ 10 million for local governments in 2023.
The New Mexico move is part of a growing consensus in the United States in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. According to the Pew Research Center, 91 percent of Americans support legal medical or recreational use in 2019. Voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota voted to legalize recreational marijuana in November, while Mississippi and South Dakota became the 34th and 35th states to allow medicinal marijuana.
New Mexico law ignored Republican objections, but not all opposed legalization. Some only argued over the details, including how the industry would be taxed, licensed, and regulated.
Supporters including Emily Kaltenbach, Senior Director for States of Residence and New Mexico for the Drug Policy Alliance, welcomed the passage of the bill.
“Today’s adoption of the cannabis legalization and expulsion package will ensure equitable opportunities and long overdue justice – including automatic expulsion – for farmers and other small businesses – for those with previous cannabis arrests or convictions,” she said in a statement.
According to The Associated Press, around 100 prisoners will have their sentences reconsidered under the new law.
