News

Dems want NM taxpayers to subsidize recreational pot bill with over $7M in funds

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, the New Mexico Legislature met for the Governor’s special session on recreational marijuana legalization. She and her party failed to pass it through the Legislature despite having big majorities in both chambers.

The bill, which Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has promised will be a money-maker for the state through the sale of marijuana, turns out to be an apparent scam to subsidize the industry heavily.

As reported earlier, the upfront cost for implementing the marijuana industry, according to the previous 2021 session’s fiscal impact report, was $659,400 in 2022. However, the newly resurrected pot bill in this current legislative session paints a wildly different picture, forcing the state to delve out millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to prop up Big Pot.

The current bill introduced this special session calls for $1.7 million to the Regulation and Licensing Department to “administer” the bill, $750,000 to the Department of Public Safety for “drug recognition expert field certification for law enforcement,” $4 million to the Taxation and Revenue Department for expenditures in the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years, $500,000 to the Administrative Office of the Courts to help address with expungement of records, among other costs.

Just on face-value, the taxpayers of New Mexico would be on the hook for nearly $7 million to implement this costly industry, which was promised to be revenue-generating. 

However, according to the previous fiscal impact report for the bill that died in the first legislative session of 2021, by the fiscal year 2024, the flailing industry would only produce at most $15 million in net revenue to the state, which, if current spending levels remain, would only amount to 0.204% of the funds needed to fund the government. 

Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Bernalillo, Sandoval, and Santa Fe) was not pleased with the Democrats’ proposal, writing on Facebook, “We’ve been told marijuana will be revenue positive but now, in the middle of Special Session (that has been called in the middle of a Holiday week), we learn last-minute that the state will subsidize the marijuana industry with millions of taxpayer dollars. This is far from open transparent government!” 

Lujan Grisham’s allies in the Legislature hope to pass the bill within a matter of days without much care for Republican input. H.B. 2, the pot bill, passed the House Judiciary Committee at around 1 a.m. on Wednesday by 7-4 after it flew through the House Taxation and Revenue Committee on Tuesday by a vote of 8-4.

Dems want NM taxpayers to subsidize recreational pot bill with over $7M in funds Read More »

MLG wants the nation to adopt NM’s job-killing Green New Deal

5 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Monday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was featured in a video shared by “Climate Power,” an “independently run project created by the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Sierra Club.” 

In the video, Lujan Grisham said, “We need Congress to take action on building a clean energy future. We need bold investments in clean energy infrastructure and jobs.”

She cited New Mexico’s “Energy Transition Act,” signed into law in 2019, which has been dubbed by anti-energy groups as New Mexico’s “mini” Green New Deal. The act would completely phase out all energy production in the state by 2050, with a 50% reduction in nine years.

“And New Mexico has shown what clean energy leadership looks like. We committed to a renewable energy future that eliminates our carbon footprint while creating exciting and fulfilling careers across our great state,” said Lujan Grisham in the video. “We invested in our energy communities and refuse to leave them behind as we transition together to a sustainable future.” 

But in New Mexico, the opposite is happening. XCEL Energy, one of the three largest electric utilities in the state is already asking to raise rates on their customers because of the Energy Transition Act, passing off large costs back to the consumers. 

In northeast New Mexico, the Energy Transition Act has forced the closure of the San Juan Generating Station by PNM, leaving countless New Mexicans without jobs and only around 80 employees able to retire. “For the rest of the employees, though, they’re going to have to go find some other form of employment,” said plant manager Omni Warner. 

“We have laid a roadmap for what America can and must look like in the 21st Century. An America where we lead the world in safer, cleaner, and more affordable cities and communities.” said Lujan Grisham in the video.

“Federal lawmakers should take a page from our state’s playbook and the clean energy movement that puts millions back to work and in doing so, better prepare our country to face the existential threat of climate change.” 

However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, New Mexico is the 46th worst state for unemployment, only coming ahead of other far-left anti-energy states including California, Connecticut, New York, and Hawaii. New Mexico is at its lowest point for energy jobs in over ten years.

Left-wing environmentalists will claim that the massive uptick in unemployment rates is all Covid related and not Lujan Grisham’s Green New Deal. However, New Mexico’s neighboring state of Texas gained energy jobs every single month since last September unlike New Mexico. 

New Mexico is bleeding cash by the day as the Governor’s assault on the energy industry worsens. New Mexicans are being laid off with no fallback other than the state’s flailing unemployment system run by Lujan Grisham’s cabinet appointees. 

Even far-left eco groups have begged the Legislature to make changes to the Energy Transition Act before it completely wrecks the state.

“This is not only our chance to recover, but our opportunity to build back better now and long into the future,” claims Lujan Grisham. But pro-energy groups beg to differ. 

Larry Behrens of Power the Future says, “New Mexico ranks near the bottom for jobs so it’s shocking to see Governor Lujan Grisham advocating for other states to import her failures. The Energy Transition Act is destroying jobs and already causing utilities to seek rate increases on New Mexico’s working families. The fact that even some of those who support the bill now recognize that it is costing our families appears to be lost on Governor Lujan Grisham as taxpayers pick up the tab for her own electric bill.”

Read more about the Energy Transition Act and the Republican members who helped Gov. Lujan Grisham pass it.

MLG wants the nation to adopt NM’s job-killing Green New Deal Read More »

Special session marijuana bill could have loophole giving minors access to drugs

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, the New Mexico Legislature will reconvene at the behest of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to reconsider a bill legalizing recreational marijuana. However, there is much confusion about what the bill under consideration is going to cover since conflicting pieces of legislation have been distributed to state legislators. One draft appears to grant minors access to marijuana through a loophole.

Sen. George Munñoz (D-Cibola, McKinley, and San Juan) told the Santa Fe New Mexican, “They were supposed to send us a copy of it today. I really don’t know what it’s going to look like. Every time I went to read one [a cannabis bill] during the session, every four hours they had a different bill.”

Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Doña Ana), who serves as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, “Nobody is saying the bill is ready and should be passed from top to bottom.”

On Monday, Cervantes tweeted out, “To those calling and messaging me on marijuana legislation for special session tomorrow. I’m told we’ll get a new rewritten bill today, which addresses all issues I and others identified in our Judiciary Committee hearing during the regular session.” 

According to the Carlsbad Current-Argus, Cervantes said the bill might be split in two, with one portion dealing with recreational marijuana legalization, while another deals with “social justice” aspects to expunge records of past drug offenses. 

“You can understand how some legislators might vote for the licensing bill, but be against criminal justice reforms; and conversely, some vote the criminal justice reforms and against the licensing bill,” Cervantes said. “There are some Republicans who have said they support the principle of legalization, but may have problems expunging records and letting people out of jail.”

However, there is no certainty the bill will have the support to pass the Senate, with the Santa Fe New Mexican warning of how risky prior special sessions called by governors have been, notably Gov. Gary Johnson, who reconvened the Legislature to fix budgetary issues while falling short on a push to “close a loophole in state gasoline tax law that allowed Indian tribes to sell wholesale gas tax-free.” 

“There are plenty of ideas and, with Easter approaching, precious little time. We’ll see whether legislators can build a new industry, or just blow smoke,” wrote the New Mexican’s editorial board. 

Senator Gregg Schmedes (R-Bernalillo, Sandoval, Santa Fe, and Torrance) shared on his Facebook page what appears to be a Democrat version of the marijuana bill in contention, where it reads “It is not a violation of the Cannabis Regulation Act when: a parent, a legal guardian or adult spouse of a person under twenty-one years of age serves cannabis products to that person under twenty-one years of age on real property, other than licensed premises, under the control of the parent, legal guardian, or adult spouse.” Schmedes wrote, “Apparently Dems like the idea of giving marijuana to minors. Might want to talk to the CDC or WHO or just about any doctor first.”

Also concerning members of the New Mexico Senate is whether Pro Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo) will force “sensitivity training” down members’ throats after she was distraught after debating Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto over a bill regarding paid medical leave. She couldn’t answer basic questions about her bill and claimed Ivey-Soto was “abusive.” 

One Republican senator told the Piñon Post that he would reject the training if asked to do it. The senator wrote, “Ha. I will refuse. I don’t force them to do common-sense training.” 

As the special session approaches, the Governor has made it crystal clear that she is not taking “no” for an answer, and the recreational pot industry has made it clear that “social justice” provisions of the bill are “absolutely required.” 

House Republican Leader Jim Townsend said in a statement, “The past sixty days have been defined by the Governor and Democrats silencing the voice of the people, and the silence has become deafening following the crash and burn of their pot bill.”

“If legalizing marijuana is truly about the people, you would think that New Mexicans from all walks of life would have the opportunity to contribute to the process, especially when it failed so miserable[y] at the last minute due to too many cooks in the kitchen. Transparency is key to the public good, and so far all I can tell you is that transparency in this building is on shaky ground.”

Read more about Big Pot’s donations to legislators’ campaigns here.

Special session marijuana bill could have loophole giving minors access to drugs Read More »

Disgraced radical enviro group blames failing NM schools on oil and gas industry

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

The disgraced far-left environmental radicalism group “WildEarth Guardians,” headquartered in Santa Fe, has begun a renewed assault on the critical New Mexico oil and gas industry, claiming the state is “shackled” to revenues from oil and gas production.

In this renewed effort by the group to petition legislators to reject oil and gas, they claim, “If oil and gas were the key to New Mexico’s prosperity, the state would be one of the most prosperous in the United States. It’s not even close.” 

“The state ranks last in quality of education, has the second highest poverty rate in the United States, and was recently ranked the third worst state in the nation,” claimed WildEarth Guardians.

The group appears to be blaming New Mexico’s failing education system on oil and gas, despite basic logic proving otherwise. 

If that claim were true, then Texas, which is benefitted by $502.6 billion of economic impact from the oil and gas industry, or 30.5% of the state’s gross domestic product, would be also failing in education and poverty.

However, Texas is ranked significantly higher than New Mexico on national surveys, such as the U.S. News and World Report, where Texas ranks 34 in education versus New Mexico at 50. New Mexico ranks extremely low for poverty 48th lowest with 18.6% of residents in poverty compared to Texas’ much lower 13.7% poverty rate and rank of 35. 

WildEarth Guardians is well-known for its extremist views on the environment and its incessant lawsuits filed against federal agencies to stymie the United States’ goal of energy independence. 

The organization receives federal and state contracts. According to InfluenceWatch, “WildEarth Guardians reported allegedly fraudulent overbilling by a longtime employee Jim Matison, director of the restoration program, and outside contractor, Jeff Hamm of Colorado-based Timberline LLC., to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Albuquerque in May 2019.” 

“The fraud reportedly occurred in state and federal contracts awarded to WildEarth Guardians, for projects such as planting native cottonwoods and willows, reducing water temperatures and preventing damaging algae. The organization completed all the contracted work, but then fake work was added. Horning said the group also reported the matter to inspectors general for the U.S. Interior and Agriculture departments and the Environmental Protection Agency, which had awarded contracts to the group.” 

Now, the flailing organization is continuing its record of controversy by claiming, “The oil and gas industry has wielded undue political influence to cover up its true costs.” WildEarth Guardians demands New Mexico lawmakers “make a just and equitable transition” from oil and gas a “priority.” 

According to a 2012 study by Americans for Prosperity, a moderate group, “a total of some $4 billion in economic impacts would result if the WildEarth Guardians were to achieve all of their stated goals with respect to the protection of wildlife through the complete elimination of grazing, coal mining, and drilling on public lands.” That $4 billion economic impact is likely much more today.

WildEarth Guardians “will continue to present a clear and present danger not just to the court system, and to the Western economy and way of life, but to the taxpayers who unwittingly bankroll its monkey-wrenching of the West,” concluded the report.

In the 2020 fiscal year, the oil and gas industry contributed $2.8 billion to state revenues, making up 33.5% of state spending. Without the critical industry, New Mexico would not survive, at least not without extreme cuts to government spending. 

Disgraced radical enviro group blames failing NM schools on oil and gas industry Read More »

Recreational weed supporters claim the term ‘marijuana’ is racist

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Sunday, the Las Cruces Sun ran an article talking about Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s recreational marijuana legalization push and the terminology that the dope industry has been using to euphemize marijuana: “cannabis.”

The article claims that many industry leaders prefer the term “cannabis,” which is the drug’s scientific term to “marijuana” “given the term’s association with criminality as well as racist animus toward Latino and other non-white social groups.”

“It played into branding immigrants as a problem and it played into branding people of color as a threat to white America,” claimed New Mexico Cannabis Chamber of Commerce executive director Ben Lewinger. He added, “I think we absolutely need to stop saying ‘marijuana’ — today.” 

Lewinger also claims that using the term “recreational” is also discriminatory, saying, “Some advocates say the crude distinction between ‘recreational’ and ‘medicinal’ use has the effect of stigmatizing those who use cannabis without a physician’s signature or a state-minted medical cannabis card.” 

“I would say a lot of people who use cannabis ‘recreationally’ are using it to help them sleep, or for stress relief, or for anxiety reduction, or for pain management even if they’re not enrolled in the medical program right now,” Lewinger said. 

Regarding the terms “black market,” “illicit market,” or “illegal market” marijuana, Lewinger claims that what makes these terms offensive to him is the fact that “what is illicit or unlawful gets decided by who writes the laws — i.e., who holds power.” Essentially, he thinks that because white men hold places of power in government, the very act of not legalizing recreational weed is racist. 

“The medical cannabis industry, which is largely owned by white men — they’re still engaging in federally illegal activity right now,” Lewinger said, “but we don’t talk about it in the same way that we would of a person of color growing and selling cannabis.”

“When we talk about undoing the harms of the war on drugs that has disproportionately impacted Black and brown people in the United States, part of that is acknowledging that it’s very much those people of color who are now in jail who are the trailblazers for cannabis in the United States,” says Lewinger.

Previously, while speaking on the “New Mexico Grass” podcast, Lewinger said that the left-wing social justice aspects of a marijuana bill are “super important” and “absolutely required” for the bill. He said, “We absolutely have to do that.” 

He also said that he thought the Democrats’ recreational marijuana bill had an 88% to 100% chance of passing during a special session of the New Mexico Legislature. 

Gov. Lujan Grisham has announced a special session to commence on March 30 to hash out the marijuana bill, as well as an economic development program, which is likely to extend through Holy Week ahead of Easter. 

Recreational weed supporters claim the term ‘marijuana’ is racist Read More »

Santa Fe City Councilor JoAnne Vigil Coppler to challenge embattled Mayor Alan Webber

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Sunday, it was reported that City Councilor JoAnne Vigil Coppler of Santa Fe has announced that she will run for mayor of New Mexico’s capital city, challenging incumbent Mayor Alan Webber, who has a well-known record of failure in the city.

Vigil Coppler told the Santa Fe New Mexican, “It’s gotten to the point where I think we can do better,” Vigil Coppler said. “We can be more united, and I think people want a change. I want to be the change that they want to see.”

“Currently working as a Realtor, Vigil Coppler said she didn’t intend to use the City Council as a launchpad to the mayoral seat when she was elected and didn’t begin to seriously consider a run for mayor until around last year, when she began receiving calls from constituents about the state of the city,” the outlet reported.

Webber, an out-of-state failed candidate for New Mexico governor, was “elected” to the mayorship with the help of attorney Teresa Leger Fernandez and Judge David Thomson, who successfully forced through undemocratic “ranked-choice voting.” Shortly after their work to install ranked-choice voting thereby leading to Webber’s ascent to the mayorship, Leger Fernandez was elected to Congress in the Third District and Thomson was appointed to a vacant seat on the New Mexico Supreme Court by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. 

During his time as mayor, Webber worked alongside far-left anti-Hispanic hate groups, including the “Red Nation” and the “Three Sisters Collective” to rip down Spanish statues and historic monuments in Santa Fe. Notably, Webber told officers to stand down while domestic terrorists toppled the 152-year-old obelisk in the heart of the Santa Fe Plaza. 

He then removed the Don Diego de Vargas statue from Cathedral Park while also attempting to remove the Kit Carson obelisk sitting in front of the Federal Court House at the behest of the fringe anti-Hispanic hate groups he had consulted with. 

His allowance of and support for ripping down these sacred statutes resulted in vandals defacing the Cross of the Martyrs, dedicated to priests slaughtered by bloodthirsty killer Po’pay. These same anarchists vandalized a statue of Fray Angélico Chávez, which stands outside of the Museum of New Mexico History. 

Vigil Coppler has long been a critic of Webber’s actions to tear down monuments without even the consultation of city councilors or the public. Webber’s monument desecration along with his mismanagement of city budgets are sure to be topics of discussion in the mayoral race.

Santa Fe City Councilor JoAnne Vigil Coppler to challenge embattled Mayor Alan Webber Read More »

‘Superspreader’: Deb Haaland wanted to throw a party—Biden shut it down quick

1 Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Friday, it was reported that newly sworn-in Department of the Interior secretary Deb Haaland tried to hold a party to celebrate her ascension to the command of the Department. Apparently, Jennifer Van der Heide, the Interior chief of staff, wanted to throw a “Southwest-themed” party for 50 people to commemorate the event. The event was scheduled to be held at 4:00 p.m. in the library of the Interior Department on March 16, 2021. 

But before invitations could be sent out, “The White House eventually got wind of the planned event, and the Office of Cabinet Affairs ordered it shut down.” They reportedly feared it could “ become a superspreader event.” 

“In addition to concerns about the size of the party in the middle of a still-virulent pandemic, White House officials expressed consternation about the political optics of hosting such an affair while the administration was urging Americans to be responsible about public health,” reports POLITICO. 

“The secretary and Interior leadership have diligently observed Covid protocols both in and out of the building,” said an Interior spokesperson in a statement. “That includes implementing a first-ever mask mandate for the agency, a stringent telework posture, and multiple communications to staff assuring them that their health and safety is a critical priority. What this shows is that junior staff made soft inquiries for something that never happened. That the new team conducted research and gathered estimates for potential future events and opportunities should not be shocking. There was no event at Interior.”

The POLITICO report also noted that “This is not the first time that Van der Heide has attracted negative attention for her work for a boss. In 2015, the Office of Congressional Ethics said that Van der Heide, when she was chief of staff for former Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), had appeared to have run afoul of ethical guidelines that separate government activities from campaign activities. One example was how she emailed a campaign staffer asking the person “how are we doing to outreach to them for $?” for a State Department event that Honda co-hosted in 2013.” 

If the party was allowed to go forward, it would have directly violated the Biden administration’s March 8, 2021 guidelines recommending people “[a]void large events and gatherings, when possible.”

“Another Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webpage, updated Feb. 18, says: “As much as possible, avoid crowds and indoor spaces that do not offer fresh air from the outdoors.” The D.C. public health emergency’s latest notice, issued last week, also says that indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people,” the report reads.

Also, the Biden administration’s Interior Department coronavirus workplace safety plan issued at the beginning of the year explicitly states that “no DOI indoor workplace or visitor experience facility, venue, or other areas where visitors typically congregate in large crowds should operate above 25% of normal occupancy standards during periods of significant or high community transmission as defined by CDC.”

“The party also seemed to violate the spirit of the Covid-19 telework and travel guidance for the White House issued to Cabinet agencies. ‘Remember that you and your senior staff are setting an example, not only for your agency staff and the rest of government, but for the American people,’ the guidance advises,” according to POLITICO. 

Haaland appears to be starting her tenure at the Department of the Interior much the same as she did while she was in Congress, where she repeatedly disgraced her office by claiming Antifa terrorists were “peaceful protesters” and demanding she will hold onto power while claiming President Trump is a “dictator.”

‘Superspreader’: Deb Haaland wanted to throw a party—Biden shut it down quick Read More »

State Sen. Mark Moores wins GOP nomination to replace Deb Haaland in Congress

8 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Saturday, the Republican Party of New Mexico State Central Committee met to consider the candidates running to replace former U.S. Congresswoman Deb Haaland in the First Congressional District, which encompasses most of Albuquerque and a large swath of Torrance County. 

Haaland, a far-left extremist member of Congress who repeatedly lied to constituents about countless issues, will now carry out Joe Biden’s assault on the energy industry in her new role as Department of the Interior under the allegedly fraudulent administration.

After some discussion and the final vote, moderate state Sen. Mark Moores, who was endorsed by many of his fellow moderate legislators, including Rep. Kelly Fajardo (R-Valencia), Sen. Ron Griggs (R-Doña Ana, Eddy, and Otero), and Sen. Greg Baca (R-Bernalillo & Valencia), won with 49 votes to the closest competitor garnering 34 votes.

Moores said during the meeting that he has already raised over $225,000 and is ready to get television advertisements in the works by tomorrow. He also claimed to have support from the Right to Life Committee of New Mexico and the National Rifle Association. 

Sen. Moores will now face off against the Democrats’ nominee, who will be picked on March 30, 2021. Candidates on the Democrat side include former UNM Law professor and state Sen. Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez, Reps. Georgene Louis, Melanie Stansbury, and Patricia Roybal Caballero, as well as former Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham staffer Victor Reyes, lawyer Randi McGinn, activist Selinda Guerrero, and Francisco Fernández. 

The apparent favorite on the Democrat side by the far-left Working Families Party is Sen. Sedillo-Lopez, followed by Rep. Stansbury. The Democrats will hold a candidate forum on Sunday ahead of their vote. The special election will be held on June 1, 2021.

State Sen. Mark Moores wins GOP nomination to replace Deb Haaland in Congress Read More »

The latest victim of Gov. Lujan Grisham’s lockdown: ENMU men’s soccer program

1 Comment / New Mexico, News / By

On Friday, the Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) Board of Regents in Portales announced that the university would be cutting its men’s soccer program “with the long-term interest of all our Eastern New Mexico students in mind,” according to athletic director Matt Billings.

According to a press release from the school, “The Greyhound soccer team became an NCAA varsity program in 2004. Most recently, during the 2019 season, the Hounds posted the most wins in a season in program history with an overall record of 12-5-1. Overall the program compiled a 75-134-35 record in 16 seasons.”

“All current men’s soccer student-athletes will have their athletic scholarships honored if they choose to remain at Eastern New Mexico. Those wishing to transfer will be given assistance moving to another program.”

The news comes as other programs across the country have been cut for good amid the COVID-19 pandemic, where lockdowns have virtually stopped all playing of college sports altogether, especially in New Mexico.

In October 2020, NBC News reported that “Twenty-six colleges and universities, from Stanford to Dartmouth College, have cut more than 90 sports programs.” That list has only grown since. 

Another tracker from Business of College Sports lists many other schools that have permanently cut programs, including universities such as Stanford, Dartmouth, Brown, and others.

The ENMU soccer program joins other entities across the state closing for good amid the pandemic, which has forced many college sports teams to flee the state altogether and play in states like Nevada and Texas.

For example, the 2020 New Mexico Bowl took place in Frisco, Texas due to Gov. Lujan Grisham’s strict COVID-19 lockdowns, which have shuttered countless communities resulting in financial ruin. 

The latest victim of Gov. Lujan Grisham’s lockdown: ENMU men’s soccer program Read More »

NM pot org chief: ‘social justice’ provisions of special session weed bill ‘absolutely required’

Leave a Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Thursday’s episode of a startup podcast called “New Mexico Grass,” the show featured the New Mexico Cannabis Chamber of Commerce executive director Ben Lewinger to talk about marijuana legalization and his thoughts on New Mexico politics. The Chamber’s members include Big Pot donors to many legislators’ campaigns, such as PurLife and Nature RX.

During the interview, Lewinger was asked why it has taken so long to get close to a recreational marijuana bill passing. In his answer, he characterized rural areas of the state that lean Republican as stigmatized, claiming, “New Mexico is a hard blue state — a very progressive state, but once you get out of the urban areas of Las Cruces, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe, New Mexico is rural and conservative. And I think still the stigma around cannabis as an illicit substance is very much alive and well.”

He also blasted New Mexico’s citizen legislature, saying, “You know, for several reasons, New Mexico is not a state that is one that is set up to get things done quickly. Right?! We have — we’re the last state that has a volunteer legislature. If you look at, like, you know, California, those are full-time jobs.”

He added, “We’re the last state with volunteer legislators, and they meet 30 and 60 days alternating each year compared to California where it’s like Congress where they’re in session most of the year, and they can just get a lot more done.” 

“I think New Mexico still very much suffers from this idea that we don’t have the same ability to create our own reality as other states do,” said Lewinger. 

Regarding the marijuana proposal’s left-wing social justice aspects, Lewinger said these portions of the bill are “super important” and “absolutely required” for the bill. He said, “We absolutely have to do that.” 

“The way we’re trying to do it creates a mechanism for us to incorporate a lot of the very important social equity pieces, but it doesn’t mean that it’s the easiest way to do it. And that’s why, you know, we worked for several years to figure out how to create this legislative vehicle to get it done,” he said. 

Later in the interview, Lewinger said that he thought the Democrats’ recreational marijuana bill had an 88% to 100% chance of passing during a special session of the New Mexico Legislature. 

When asked about cannabis legalization on the national level, Lewinger said that he doesn’t expect Joe Biden to legalize cannabis nationwide. However, he says he will take it off the “schedule,” thereby decriminalizing it.

Lewinger then said, “I think the next Democratic president — Kamala Harris — will probably legalize cannabis.” 

Gov. Lujan Grisham has announced a special session to commence on March 30 to hash out the marijuana bill, as well as an economic development program, which is likely to extend through Holy Week ahead of Easter.

Read more about Big Pot’s donations to legislators’ campaigns here.

NM pot org chief: ‘social justice’ provisions of special session weed bill ‘absolutely required’ Read More »

1 … 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 … 215

Stay Updated

Scroll to Top