Special session on cannabis legalization set for March 30

Mar. 26—SANTA FE — After a cannabis legalization bill fizzled in the final hours of this year's 60-day legislative session, a small number of New Mexico lawmakers have been working in recent days to plant the seeds for a possible bipartisan breakthrough.

They will have that chance next week, as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Friday she will call lawmakers back to the state Capitol for a special session starting on Tuesday.

In addition to the proposal to legalize recreational cannabis for adult users, the governor also said she would add a bill dealing with expansion of a state economic development program to the agenda of the special session, which some top lawmakers have said could be conducted in just a day or two.

"I am grateful to those legislative leaders and members who have expressed enthusiasm about returning to the people's work so soon after a challenging 60-day session," Lujan Grisham said in a statement. "The unique circumstances of the session, with public health safeguards in place, in my view prevented the measures on my call from crossing the finish line.

A House-approved cannabis legalization bill stalled in the Senate in the final days of the session that ended March 20, with a top Senate Democrat opting not to bring it up for a vote that could have prompted a lengthy debate and blocked other measures from winning final approval.

But Lujan Grisham said shortly after adjournment she would take the rare step of calling an immediate special session to get the legalization bill across the finish line.

While some lawmakers have groused about the prospect of returning to the Roundhouse after a two-month session that was conducted largely remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, backers of the cannabis legalization bill say they're hopeful a deal can be brokered before the special session begins.

And a bipartisan group of lawmakers has been holding talks with one another and the Governor's Office on the issue since the 60-day session ended.

"We're not starting from scratch — we've got a good framework," Rep. Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, a sponsor of the House-approved legalization bill, said in an interview this week.

In addition, Sen. Cliff Pirtle, R-Roswell, said he's been in communication with the Governor's Office and top-ranking Senate Democrats about a compromise framework for cannabis legalization.

He unveiled a reworked bill draft this week that would bar state agencies from limiting how many marijuana plants a licensed producer could possess or manufacture.

The proposal would also allow licensing to begin shortly after a legalization bill took effect, saying, "We need to get the licensing process going as fast as possible."

The special session will be the third called by Lujan Grisham in her 27 months in office.

The Democratic governor also called two special sessions last year — one in June and one in November — to deal with budgetary issues and financial relief for New Mexico businesses and workers amid the pandemic.

Since taking office in 2019, Lujan Grisham has touted cannabis legalization as a job-creation measure and a way to bolster New Mexico's economy.

"While I applaud the Legislature and staff for their incredible perseverance and productivity during the 60-day in the face of these challenges, we must and we will forge ahead and finish the job on these initiatives together for the good of the people and future of our great state," the governor said Friday.

Meanwhile, there will be a sense of urgency to conduct the cannabis special session quickly, as the cost of recent New Mexico special sessions have averaged $50,000 per day.