“Seven years later, New Mexicans are finally able to exhale.”
That’s what Emily Kaltenbach of the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) said Monday after New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, signed legislation that not only legalizes adult use of recreational marijuana but also includes key social justice provisions long sought by proponents of legalization. Kaltenbach’s remark referenced just how long lawmakers and activists have been working for this win.
“The signing of the cannabis legalization and expungement package will ensure equitable opportunities for farmers and other small businesses, and long overdue justice — including automatic expungement — for those with past cannabis arrests or convictions,” said Kaltenbach. “We thank the governor and our legislative allies for not taking ‘no’ for an answer and stopping at nothing until we were able to get justice for New Mexico communities — particularly Hispanic/Latinx, Black, Native, and Indigenous — that have been immensely harmed by cannabis prohibition.”