New Mexico doing cannabis right as Biden administration pledges federal reform

The US Secretary of Health and Human Services has the unilateral authority to remove cannabis from Schedule 1 so the world would be a very different place today had Tom Daschle stayed for Senate confirmation in 2009 but there's that. 

As cannabis retailers post another $40 million dollar month here in the Land of Enchantment supporters are lauding legalization as a way to diversify New Mexico’s economy, bring in tax income and address inequities left by the war on drugs while balancing the state's water crisis with growers.

Richard Auxier, a senior policy associate with the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, presented some best tax practices to the Legislature’s interim Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Committee that covered cigarette, alcohol and cannabis. But findings from the cannabis portion showed that New Mexico’s cannabis tax structure could work well for the state’s finances, assuming the retail price drops in the coming years. Auxier told the committee it was a “pretty smart decision” to hold off doling out cannabis tax proceeds before getting a feel for how much money can be made. “You don’t want to make any programs solely dependent on those revenues,” he told legislators. [Andy Lyman, Santa Fe Reporter]

During a Democratic primary debate in 2019 Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg emerged as the candidates who looked like the most sensible candidates but Cory Booker won the night especially after he forced then-Vice President Joe Biden to flip on cannabis legalization.

First: I’m pardoning all prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession. There are thousands of people who were previously convicted of simple possession who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result. My pardon will remove this burden. Second: I’m calling on governors to pardon simple state marijuana possession offenses. Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely for possessing marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either. Third: We classify marijuana at the same level as heroin – and more serious than fentanyl. It makes no sense. I’m asking [Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra] and the Attorney General to initiate the process of reviewing how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. [President Joe Biden]

The US House has passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 or MORE Act which removes cannabis from Schedule 1 but legalization remains in the hands of the states. The bill's lead sponsor in the Senate was now-Vice President Kamala Harris.

Today’s announcement out of the @WhiteHouse from @POTUS is a great step towards legalizing #cannabis and correcting the mistakes made during the War on Drugs. @JoeBiden has kept another campaign promise that will follow the science on cannabis reform and change so many lives. https://t.co/Z1mHa6Lxxm

— Thomas A. Daschle (@TomDaschle) October 6, 2022