There were a couple of naughty operators last month, but the New Mexico Cannabis Control Division (CCD) seems to be following through with its promise to enforce the rules. Here’s a list of enforcement actions taken in July by the state’s marijuana regulators:
The CCD sent a Notice of Contemplated Action (NCA) to NNK Equity, LLC, letting the company know the state is considering revoking, suspending, issuing fines or taking other disciplinary action against its license.
According to the notice, the CCD alleged NNK Equity did not post its license onsite, failed to prove that it had obtained the proper water rights for its operation, failed to install enough on-site security cameras, allowed dogs to lay among the plants, failed to have hand-washing or sanitation equipment, lacked any written waste disposal procedures, improper transporting and manifesting product transfers, failed to tag plants for the state’s Bio Track system and engaged in commercial cannabis cultivation at a premise that didn’t have a license.
The CCD alleges the business was also storing gas containers, a propane tank and corrosives in improper areas, which could have led to fire, explosion or product contamination. It was also allegedly transferring plant clones with visual mold growth to the cultivation facility. Plant molds can make consumers sick, if ingested.
The notice says the CCD collected photographic and video evidence from its own agents’ reports as well as those from the Department of State Police.
The CCD also sent an NCA to Unlimited Extract, LLC, alleging that the licensee broke a number of rules, including selling cannabis goods at an unlicensed location, failing to verify if customers are of legal age, not entering all products into the state’s Bio Track system, failing to keep up-to-date inventory records, unable to produce any records of sales, not using proper signage and keeping logs of employee traffic in limited access areas, failing to install security cameras or security alarms, not keeping a video surveillance record and failing to label products with state-required warnings.
The state says it based its contemplated action on photographic and video evidence gathered by CCD agents as well as an audio recording of a conversation between the division and the respondent.
NNK and Unlimited Extract will now have to request a hearing or the division will take the contemplated actions by default.
Meanwhile, the CCD also entered into a number of settlement agreements with various operators in response to violations.
The Green room agreed to pay a fee of $4,000 for four violations, including improper track and trace record keeping, inaccurate sales records, denial of access to vault and failure to present required standard operating procedures. The business also agreed to destroy five bags of cannabis that were found onsite without proper manifest documentation.
Purlife agreed to pay a fee of $2,000 for employees using cannabis onsite, giving away free weed to new customers. It also agreed to pay an additional $6,000 for improper track and trace recordkeeping.
Blue Whale enterprises agreed to pay a fee of $50,000 for allowing a minor who is not a medical patient onto a licensed premises, promoting cannabis overconsumption, allowing unauthorized consumption without a consumption license, allowing public consumption of alcohol without a liquor license and publicly displaying cannabis products outside a retail area. In lieu of a 14-day suspension of business activities, Blue Whale has agreed to pay an additional $300,000 in five installments.
Sandia Botanicals agreed to pay a fee of $1,000 for failing to use the required state cannabis logo on some of its products.