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VOL 7 | ISSUE 316 | APRIL 16, 2021
JUBILATION VS. HESITATION Area leaders, vendors, police sound off on new cannabis law By Kevin Opsahl Sun Correspondent
see how this all plays out once everything gets rolling next year,” he said. Lee said he wanted to see if the bill his week, cannabis advo- lives up to its potential. cates felt a sense of jubiSome provisions in the bill the lation after New Mexico governor signed made it more palbecame only the fifth state atable for the Chamber this time in the nation to legalize recreational around, Lee added. But even that use of the drug. wasn’t enough for his organization But ask some people in Gallup to go full-tilt in support of it. a nd McK i n ley Cou nt y for thei r “We did not take a hard-nosed thoughts and they either haven’t sta nd on it. We watched the bill read the bill or are skeptical about carefully to make sure … business whether the impact will be positive. protections were left in,” Lee said. The reaction comes after Gov. Lu jan Grisham says the legalMichelle Lujan Grisham this week ization of recreational ca nnabis signed HB2 into law, which allows paves the way for the development anyone 21 or older to obtain a license of a new economic driver with the to grow cannabis come Jan. 1, 2022 prom i se of creat i ng t hou s a nd s and make it available for commer- of good pay ing jobs for yea rs to cial sale by April 1. Sales to minors, come, w ith gross receipts ta xes however, are still prohibited. The a nd loca l t a xes apply i ng to t he bill also adds provisions for medi- va lue of the adult-use purcha se cal marijuana, which is already on of cannabis. the books. HB 2 ca lls for distr ibution of Bill Lee, CEO of the Ga llup- a por tion of the Cannabis excise McKinley Chamber of Commerce, tax to municipalities and counties. said “the jury is still out” as to how communities will be impacted by the cannabis bill. CANNABIS “We’re going to have to wait to | SEE PAGE 19
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