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Texas law enforcement officials are warning Texas residents who come to New Mexico to get rid of their legal cannabis before they return, but no specific initiatives have been put in place.
El Paso Times reports that the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said it would continue making possession arrests but won’t be focusing “exclusively” on them. The Texas Department of Safety said it will continue enforcing the state’s cannabis laws but has not created any special initiatives in response to New Mexico’s cannabis legalization status. And an El Paso Police Department spokesperson said the department would not be focusing on low-level cannabis arrests.
Texas is known for having especially stringent cannabis laws but in recent years the state eased the penalties for being caught in possession of small amounts of the drug. However, crossing state lines with cannabis can result in a felony charge.
Sunland Park Prepares For Pot Boom
City leaders in Sunland Park are preparing for a coming windfall of cash as cannabis businesses capitalize on attention from residents of illegal markets.
Sunland Park is enjoying a new normal as hordes of tourists descend on its adult-use cannabis dispensaries. The southern city of only 17,000 is serendipitously positioned near the borders of both Texas and Mexico, within close proximity of two large cities: El Paso and Ciudad Juárez.
According to KOB Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea believes that the cannabis industry will bring $7 million dollars to the small town over the next year. “That has opened up an opportunity that didn’t exist before,” he said.
Sunland Park has at least 21 cannabis producer and retailer licenses either approved or awaiting approval.
State Ends Curbside Cannabis
Patients enrolled in the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program can no longer make curbside pickups at dispensaries.
The state temporarily allowed curbside cannabis pickup for patients while COVID-19 health regulations were in place, but that policy has been shelved now that the Cannabis Regulation Act is in place and all marijuana sales must be conducted inside of a licensed business.
However the new rules in place allow retailers to now deliver cannabis directly to consumers’ homes through courier services, an option that has never been available in New Mexico.
No Smoking Pot Outdoors in Las Cruces
Las Cruces city leaders say adult-use cannabis can only be smoked in designated cannabis consumption areas and inside consumers’ homes.
According to KDBC in El Paso, Texas, Deputy Chief Attorney for the City of Las Cruces Robert Cabello said public recreational cannabis consumption is illegal in the city and residents cannot smoke on their front lawn or in any outdoor area that is open to the public in any way.