HOUSE BILL 276
56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2024
INTRODUCED BY
Joshua N. Hernandez
AN ACT
RELATING TO CANNABIS; ALLOWING LICENSEES PURSUANT TO THE CANNABIS REGULATION ACT AND THE LIQUOR CONTROL ACT TO CONDUCT ANY LAWFUL ACTIVITY OR COMBINATION OF LAWFUL ACTIVITIES AT A LICENSED ESTABLISHMENT EXCEPT FOR THE RETAIL SALE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
SECTION 1. Section 26-2C-6 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2021 (1st S.S.), Chapter 4, Section 6, as amended) is amended to read:
"26-2C-6. LICENSING CANNABIS ACTIVITIES--LIMITATIONS--MEDICAL CANNABIS LEGACY LICENSING--CANNABIS SHORTAGE FOR MEDICAL PROGRAM.--
A. The division shall regulate and administer and may collect fees in connection with the administration of:
(1) commercial cannabis activity and licensing related to commercial cannabis activity;
(2) the medical cannabis program, except for the medical cannabis registry; and
(3) all aspects of cannabis relating to cannabis training and education programs.
B. The division shall follow the provisions of the Uniform Licensing Act when licensing or permitting the following:
(1) cannabis consumption areas;
(2) cannabis couriers;
(3) cannabis manufacturers;
(4) cannabis producer microbusinesses;
(5) cannabis producers;
(6) cannabis research laboratories;
(7) cannabis retailers;
(8) cannabis servers;
(9) cannabis testing laboratories;
(10) cannabis training and education programs;
(11) integrated cannabis microbusinesses; and
(12) vertically integrated cannabis establishments.
C. The division shall include a clear designation on all licenses and permits that indicates whether the license or permit is for medical cannabis activity, commercial cannabis activity or both or for cannabis training and education programs.
D. The division shall issue a license to a cannabis retailer applicant at a discount if the applicant provides documentation of an agreement to accept cannabis products on consignment from a cannabis producer microbusiness or an integrated cannabis microbusiness licensed pursuant to the Cannabis Regulation Act.
E. A license is valid for twelve months from the date the license is issued and may be renewed annually, except that a license issued for a cannabis training and education program is valid until terminated by the licensee or suspended or revoked by the division.
F. The director shall not renew a license issued pursuant to the provisions of the Cannabis Regulation Act until the director receives notification from the secretary of taxation and revenue or the secretary's designee that on a certain date:
(1) the licensee is not a delinquent taxpayer pursuant to Section 7-1-16 NMSA 1978 only with respect to the cannabis excise tax or the gross receipts tax; and
(2) there are no unfiled tax returns due with respect to the cannabis excise tax or the gross receipts tax.
G. No license shall be transferable or assignable from a licensee to another person. The division shall not allow a person that is licensed as any type of cannabis establishment other than a cannabis research laboratory to hold, directly or indirectly, a cannabis testing laboratory license.
H. Except for verification of age, the division shall not require licensees to request information from consumers or impose any residency requirement upon consumers for the purchase of cannabis products pursuant to the commercial cannabis activity authorized by the Cannabis Regulation Act. The division may require licensees to request information from consumers for the purchase of cannabis products pursuant to the medical cannabis program, which may include the presentation of legal identification issued by an authorized governmental entity or other documents as required by the medical cannabis program.
I. Except as otherwise provided in the Cannabis Regulation Act, the division shall not limit the number of licensed premises a licensee may occupy or operate under a license. Multiple licensees may occupy a single licensed premises and the division shall not place any restriction or prohibition on the number of licensees occupying a single licensed premises or on the number of licensed premises of a cannabis establishment except as otherwise specifically provided for by the Cannabis Regulation Act. A licensee may conduct any lawful activity or any combination of lawful activities at a licensed premises [provided that the licensee is not a licensee pursuant to the Liquor Control Act]. Smoking in a cannabis consumption area on a licensed premises shall be allowed only if the cannabis consumption area is in a designated smoking area or in a standalone building from which smoke does not infiltrate other indoor workplaces or other indoor public places where smoking is otherwise prohibited pursuant to the Dee Johnson Clean Indoor Air Act.
J. Licensees are specifically allowed to conduct other licensed activities, including activities pursuant to the Hemp Manufacturing Act, except for [sales] the retail sale of alcoholic beverages.
K. A person properly licensed and in good standing pursuant to the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act on [the effective date of the Cannabis Regulation Act] June 29, 2021 may continue to operate under that license for medical cannabis until comparable licenses for commercial cannabis activity are available. The division shall determine when retail sales of commercial cannabis products begin, but no later than April 1, 2022. A facility of such a licensee, upon issuance of the applicable cannabis establishment license, shall constitute licensed premises of the licensee and the licensee shall be entitled to continued and uninterrupted operations of the licensed premises. As to activity under the medical cannabis program, the licensee shall continue to operate under rules promulgated for the medical cannabis program until the division promulgates rules for medical cannabis activity, except that a qualified patient, a primary caregiver and a reciprocal participant shall not be prohibited from purchasing and obtaining cannabis products pursuant to the medical cannabis program.
L. To address a shortage of cannabis supply in the medical cannabis program, the division may:
(1) require all cannabis establishment licensees to ensure that at least ten percent of their cannabis in stock on a monthly basis is designated for sale to qualified patients, primary caregivers and reciprocal participants;
(2) initially take reasonable measures to expeditiously incentivize increased production of cannabis plants to remedy a shortage of cannabis supply in the medical cannabis program;
(3) after having first exhausted measures to increase production of cannabis plants to address the shortage of cannabis supply in the medical cannabis program, exclude commercial cannabis activity from the scope of new licenses issued to initial applicants for a vertically integrated cannabis establishment, cannabis producer, integrated cannabis microbusiness, cannabis producer microbusiness or cannabis manufacturer license, which limitation shall be in force for a period of at least six months; and
(4) require licensees who are licensed to produce cannabis to produce a specified quota of mature cannabis plants to be designated for use in the medical cannabis program; provided that:
(a) the division may require a licensee to devote no more than twenty-five percent of the licensee's cultivated cannabis plants on a monthly basis for use in the medical cannabis program; and
(b) the division may require specific tracking of cannabis plants.
M. As used in this section, "shortage of cannabis supply in the medical cannabis program" means that the average number of cannabis plants in production in the medical cannabis program per qualified patient after [the effective date of the Cannabis Regulation Act] June 29, 2021 is substantially less than the average number of cannabis plants in production in the medical cannabis program per qualified patient as of [the effective date of the Cannabis Regulation Act] June 29, 2021, where:
(1) the average number of cannabis plants in production after [the effective date of the Cannabis Regulation Act] June 29, 2021 is measured over a period of three consecutive months; and
(2) the average number of cannabis plants in production as of [the effective date of the Cannabis Regulation Act] June 29, 2021 is measured over a period of three consecutive months immediately preceding [the effective date of the Cannabis Regulation Act] June 29, 2021.
N. A person who is a member of the New Mexico senate or the New Mexico house of representatives on [the effective date of the Cannabis Regulation Act] June 29, 2021 shall not apply for or be granted a license to engage in any commercial cannabis activity prior to July 1, 2026."
SECTION 2. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the provisions of this act is July 1, 2024.
- 8 -