Dona Ana County sheriff joins governor’s pot panel
Dona Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart is joining the governor’s Cannabis Legalization Working Group, which will study best practices from other states that have legalized cannabis.
The group – made up of stakeholders and policy experts – will make recommendations to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham that will be incorporated into legislation to be introduced next year.
“I hope that I’m kind of the pragmatic voice in all of this because we all as a nation tend to say, ‘hey, we can make so much money. States can get out of the red on this. They can do great things. We can bring money into education.’ Well, what’s the cost to us?” Stewart told ABC-7.
The working group Stewart is joining includes state agency leaders who will oversee the implementation and regulation of legalized cannabis, elected officials from both major parties, representatives of the medical cannabis industry and tribal, labor, banking and law enforcement representatives.
The governor has said she will place the matter of legalization on the agenda for the next legislative session in January 2020.
Other legislative proposals to legalize the sale and consumption of recreational cannabis in New Mexico failed to advance through the state legislature earlier this year.
