Lawmakers Starting to Understand the Damage Being Done, But More Reforms are Needed
(SANTA FE, NM) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement upon the third anniversary of commercial marijuana sales in New Mexico:
“New Mexico’s commercial pot marketplace has been an unmitigated disaster. Illicit THC-infused drugs in gas stations, a thriving illicit market, and even international drug and human trafficking operations are just a few of the glaring pitfalls that have resulted since the state opened its doors to the pot-for-profit addiction industry.
“Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham should quickly move to sign HB 10, passed earlier this year with bipartisan support in the Legislature, to create a new Cannabis Enforcement Bureau with the ability to seize illegal weed, make arrests, and issue recall orders for products due to adulteration or dangerous or fraudulent misbranding. These basic reforms will be a major step forward for the public, but more must be done.
“Trends across the nation have universally shown that sales of today’s high-potency marijuana and THC-infused drugs are resulting in more THC-related traffic crashes, more youth-use, more workplace accidents, a larger illicit market, and lower than expected tax revenue. New Mexico’s Cannabis Control Division should continue to advance significant reforms, including requiring clear warning labels that spell out the harms associated with these dangerous psychoactive drugs. Those labels should make clear to the public that THC drugs are increasingly medically associated with depression, suicidality, IQ loss, psychosis and schizophrenia, especially for young people. In lieu of lawmakers actions, the New Mexico CCD should also advance strict potency caps, enact bans on advertising that can be seen by those under 21, and invest greater resources in prevention and treatment programs to help those who are bearing the consequences of the state’s failed experiment with marijuana legalization.”
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