Sacred Garden, one of the longest-operating dispensaries in Las Cruces, to close their doors

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- One of the longest operating dispensaries in Las Cruces says they’re being forced to close their doors, just over two years after recreational cannabis was legalized in the state.

Sacred Garden, founded in Santa Fe in 2010, has been operating its Las Cruces storefront since 2018.

It has sold medicinal cannabis well before it was legalized for recreational use, but store manager Carla Padilla says the last two years since have not been kind to them.

Padilla blames over saturation of the market since legalization, as well as a rocky start to recreational sales due to legal issues with the state two years ago, as the things that are leading to the dispensary’s upcoming closure later this month.

“We had a cease and desist from the state, which hindered our in-house production, before we were able to get the go-ahead with manufacturing and production, so at that point when we did go recreational, it seemed like we were already too late," said Padilla.

Sacred Garden will officially close their doors on September, 21st.