4/1/22

Former NM Governor Gary Johnson surprised legalization took so long

Democratic then-Representative from New Mexico's First District, now-Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham worked with Republican-now-Libertarian former Gov. Gary Johnson to legalize cannabis for some patients but Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, signed it into law in 2007. 

Born in Minot, North Dakota Johnson also suffered through several Aberdeen, South Dakota winters as a kid. Both having fled the Republican Party Johnson and his running mate former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, campaigned in South Dakota during the tainted, likely illegitimate 2016 election. Weld talked in Spearditch as part of his whirlwind tour and Gov. Johnson did very well in Lawrence County - 7.9% was the best in the whole state. 

Having won 9.34% of the 2016 vote in New Mexico Johnson still enjoys pretty good support in the state and some analysts say Johnson's name on the ballot in Colorado won that state for Hillary Clinton. Confident Secretary Clinton would win New Mexico in 2016 Gary Johnson got my early vote for president at the Santa Fe County Fairgrounds despite this blog's view he was out of his depth in 2016, often seemed poorly advised on current events and even lost in the weeds during the campaign. He has since told supporters he's finished with politics. 

These days Taos-based Johnson skis and rides his bike but says he no longer smokes.
Longtime legislator Mimi Stewart recalled it this way: “I think Johnson just seemed like a weirdo back then to all of us.” More than two decades later, as New Mexico prepares to begin retail sales of cannabis Friday, Johnson said he always knew legalization at the state level would require a long journey. In a 1999 legislative meeting, Senate Republican Leader L. Skip Vernon said Johnson “has had some bad ideas and this, frankly, is the worst one I’ve seen.” [Albuquerque Journal]
In January, Dope King and owner of Ultra Health, Duke Rodriguez, told the the Albuquerque Business Journal he wants to control 40-60% of all cannabis sales in New Mexico. 

Today, my home state of South Dakota just hired Big Dope to track the still iffy therapeutic cannabis industry as New Mexico and two Pueblos enter a compact. Compacts are critical to tribal communities to operate any cannabis enterprise outside reservation borders at least until legalization happens in Congress.

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