Draconian cannabis laws may be some of the worst crimes perpetrated on the people of Texas by their state government, but they’re a total boon for New Mexico marijuana tourism. In the first weeks of adult-use cannabis sales, Texans have contributed a lot of money to New Mexico’s economy.
According to KTEP in El Paso, Texas, cannabis stores along the southern border of New Mexico have been raking in the cash from out-of-state cannabis tourists. “We are happy to welcome visitors from Texas and around the country to come to our state to enjoy great cannabis products,” said New Mexico Cannabis Control Division spokesperson Heather Brewer.
Reporters spoke to people waiting in line at a Sunland Park dispensary last week and learned that nearly all of them were Texans. Dispensaries in Sunland Park—a small town with a population of around 17,000—reportedly made $259,332 from adult-use sales in the first week. Las Cruces reportedly made $530,410 in recreational sales.
Curry Discusses Repealing Cannabis Law
Curry County commissioners are considering doing away with county’s cannabis ordinance altogether.
Commissioners met at a recent public commission hearing to discuss cannabis rules about business placement when Commission Chairman Chet Spear asked why the county was instituting rules on top of those laid out by the state. “Why do we have an ordinance when 99 percent of state law covers these operations?” asked Spear. “I am against cannabis—I’ve seen what it does to people—but I believe this ordinance sets the county up for lawsuits.” Spear went on to ask if the commission wanted to repeal the county law entirely and leave it up to the state.
The commission is expected to discuss repealing the ordinance at the next regular meeting in May.
Pot Sales Explode
State regulators say adult-use cannabis is a success in New Mexico. Figures are rolling in from the first weeks of sales, and businesses couldn’t be happier.
According to the CCD, cannabis retailers sold nearly $10 million worth of adult-use marijuana products in the first week of April—$6.1 million of that was made from recreational sales alone.
State leaders say the success is due in part to good planning. “New Mexicans supported cannabis businesses in record numbers this week,” CCD Director Kristen Thomson said in a press release. “Through careful regulatory planning hand-in-hand with industry, New Mexico cannabis producers have done something that’s never been done before. This week is something we can all be proud of.”
The CCD says it expects sales to reach $300 million per year once the market matures. The amount of taxes that will be collected by the state is estimated at around $700,000.