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New Mexico’s proposed adult use regulations are rolling out.
Just weeks after New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation to legalize adult use cannabis, the first proposed regulations have been released. The state has until Sept 1 to begin issuing producer licenses, and until April 2022 to launch adult use sales, so regulators are moving quickly.
The New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department’s Cannabis Control Division has started with proposed regulations for producer licenses, for which it will collect public comment until it holds a public hearing on June 29. This license type includes microbusinesses, which can control their supply from seed to sale.
Illinois governor praises equity bill moving through legislature.
This week, HB 1443, a bill that would expand the number of adult use licenses available in Illinois and ensure that they go to equity applicants, passed out of the House.
While equity was front and center in the push for legalization in Illinois, the reality has been that the market remains dominated by the companies that already held medical cannabis licenses, which include some of the largest multistate operators in the US, like Cresco and GTI.
“As a state that values making our laws reflective of our diverse communities, we must ensure that social justice is at the center of everything we do — and today, that means building upon our work of passing the most equity-centric cannabis law in the nation,” said Gov. JB Pritzker.
“By authorizing additional lotteries that are focused on social equity applicants, we’re ensuring that communities that have been left out and left behind have new opportunities to access the cannabis industry. This legislation further ensures those least likely to have already had a foot in this industry will see a bigger piece of the pie. I want to thank Representative La Shawn K. Ford, all of the cosponsors and the many advocates for seeing this legislation through the House. I look forward to the Senate’s support in this step toward the Illinois our residents deserve.”
Minnesota governor signs smokable medical cannabis bill.
While medical cannabis has been legal in Minnesota since 2014, only non-smokable products were allowed. This week, Gov. Tim Walz signed into law a bill that allows patients who are 21 or older to purchase and consume smokable products, which is likely to significantly expand the state’s medical cannabis program.
Meanwhile, as Cannabis Wire recently reported, an adult use legalization bill passed the House this session, but stood no chance of passage in the Senate.