New Mexico Adult Use Cannabis became legal with the passage of HB2 in the 2021 special session, enactment of the Cannabis Regulation Act (CRA) is effective June 29, 2021, upon the signature of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. The act allows for recreational marijuana use in New Mexico for residents over the age of 21.
Who Oversees the New Mexico Adult Use Cannabis Program?
The CRA created a comprehensive licensing, taxing and enforcement regulatory structure for recreational marijuana in New Mexico that will be administered by the Cannabis Control Division (CCD), which is located in the Regulation and Licensing Department. The Cannabis Control Division will administer the Cannabis Regulation Act and the licensing and regulatory provisions of the Medical Cannabis Program that was created by the Lynn and Erin Compassion Use Act (LECUA).
New Mexico Adult Use Cannabis License Types Available
There are currently 10 New Mexico Cannabis License types available. You can find a list, including a brief description of the license type below.
- Consumption Area: A business that and serve cannabis products. These products can also be consumed onsite.
- Courier: A business that can transport cannabis products to qualified patients, primary caregivers, or reciprocal participants, or directly to consumers.
- Manufacturer: A business licensed to processes and prepare cannabis into usable cannabis products and to purchase, acquire, sell, or transport wholesale cannabis products to other cannabis establishments.
- Producer: A business licensed to cultivate cannabis plants, transport unprocessed products only to other cannabis establishments, or sell cannabis products wholesale.
- Producer Micro-Business: A business who can legally produce cannabis products at a single premise that possesses a maximum of two hundred (200) mature cannabis plants at one time.
- Research Laboratory: A business that produces or possesses cannabis products with the purpose of studying cannabis characteristics.
- Retailer: A business licensed to sell cannabis product to qualified patients, caregivers, and individuals over the age of 21.
- Testing Laboratory: A business that samples, collects, and tests cannabis products for wholesale or retail licensees.
- Integrated Cannabis Microbusiness: A business who can conduct multiple license types at 1 physical location. For example, this license type may allow the production, manufacturing, distribution, and the ability to have 1 retail location. Unfortunately, this business may not have more than 200 plants at one time, and can only have 1 license type from each category.
- Vertically Integrated Cannabis Establishment: A business who can act as any of the following: a cannabis courier, a cannabis manufacturer, a cannabis producer, or a cannabis retailer.
New Mexico Adult Use Cannabis Sale Restrictions
According to the regulation, adults over the age of 21 may purchase and/or possess up to 2 ounces of cannabis, 16 grams of cannabis concentrates, and 800 milligrams of infused edible products. These purchase limits are outlined in our New Mexico Adult Use Cannabis standard operating procedures.
