One day after New Mexico’s House of Representatives passed legislation to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older, a Senate panel held a Saturday hearing to take initial testimony on three competing legalization bills introduced in that chamber. The committee did not vote on any of the measures, instead of using the hearing to compare the various Senate proposals to one another as well as to the House-passed legislation, HB 12. “I think we’re just trying to get a feel for these four bills,” said Senate Tax, Business, and Transportation Committee Chairman Benny Shendo Jr. (D), who led the hearing. The bills’ sponsors will now work to combine elements of the various Senate proposals before returning to the committee for a possible vote next Saturday. Despite overlap on some issues, major disagreements remain over the structure of the commercial cannabis market, how tax revenue will be allocated, and the makeup of a state oversight board that would regulate the new industry.
Ben Adlin, Marijuana Moment, 03/01/2021 08:34:00