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“I’ve always said that this bill is not perfect,” state Rep. Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, proclaimed during Wednesday’s Senate debate on groundbreaking state legislation legalizing recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older.
With myriad unanswered questions, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham acknowledged in her victory statement Wednesday night the “work will go on.”
Martínez, the lead sponsor and a longtime advocate of legalized pot, is all too right: What passed isn’t even in the ballpark of perfect. And let’s hope Lujan Grisham holds to her pledge. While marijuana legalization supporters are doing their victory lap, critics are feeling steamrolled. There were myriad cannabis legalization bills introduced during the regular session without one winning enough votes for approval. The legislative machine then moved a bill through the Roundhouse in two days before Easter weekend with limited debate and a lone amendment. (Sen. Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, offered up the good-government move that prevents House and Senate members from supporting laws that enrich themselves – they can’t hold or apply for commercial cannabis licenses until 2026. Sen. Jacob Candelaria, D-Albuquerque, and others circled the wagons and unsuccessfully opposed it.)