The Santa Fe Film Festival has announced that it will hold a second showing of New Mexico hemp farmer and activist Doug Fine’s documentary, American Hemp Farmer.
According to Fine, the world premiere of the film successfully sold out, prompting festival organizers to run an encore screening of it.
The documentary follows Fine as he sets out to explore food security around the world via hemp and other crops, following a devastating wildfire that threatened his New Mexico ranch. Fine follows three farming families for a year as they struggle with the effects of climate change while attempting to run their small businesses.
The film’s encore presentation will be held Friday, April 26 at 12:30pm at the Jean Cocteau Cinema (418 Montezuma Ave., Santa Fe). Tickets cost $20 and can be purchased at the Santa Fe Film Festival’s website.
NM Weed Sales Break New Record
The state’s Cannabis Control Division (CCD) reports that New Mexico weed stores sold a whopping $39.4 million in adult-use cannabis in March.
Albuquerque retailers led the way with more than $10 million in sales. Coming in second were Sunland Park stores with $4.3 million in sales.
According to KRQE, Chadcor Holdings NM, LLC., which operates both Dark Matter Cannabis and Top Crop, earned more than $1.4 million in March, making it the top earner for the month.
The state announced last month that it had surpassed $1 billion in combined recreational and medical cannabis sales since it legalized adult-use marijuana.
White House Dodges Comments on Rescheduling
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the decision on whether to reschedule cannabis rests on the shoulders of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
During a White House press briefing last week, Jean-Pierre was asked if the administration was doing anything to regulate the safety of cannabis products or legalizing the drug at the federal level.
The press secretary did not answer either question, opting instead to pass the buck onto the DOJ.
“[The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)] has concluded their independent review, guided by the evidence,” said Jean-Pierre. “The scheduling review is now with DOJ, and any input should be certainly directed to them at a time and in a manner they say is appropriate.”
At the behest of President Joe Biden, the HHS reviewed marijuana’s status as a Schedule I drug on the federal list of controlled substances and recommended that it be moved to Schedule III in August 2023. Since then, the DOJ has purportedly been doing its own review.
Historically, the DOJ has never gone against a recommendation from the federal science authority. But the justice department has repeatedly reminded everyone involved that it has the authority to make the final decision on rescheduling marijuana.