A Whole Lot of Texans are Headed to New Mexico for Recreational Marijuana
Many Texans are loving the fact that anyone over the age of 21 can now buy recreational marijuana in New Mexico.
New legislation took effect at midnight on Friday (April 1) that allowed for the legal sale of up to 2 ounces of marijuana or comparable amounts of edibles or liquids.
Valley Central reports the lines were long outside 2 dispensaries in the small New Mexico community of Sunland Park, which is only about 10 minutes away from Downtown El Paso. According to the report, there were just as many cars with Texas license plates in the parking lot as there were ones with New Mexico plates.
While Texans can legally purchase recreational marijuana in New Mexico, it’s illegal to transport it into Texas. I figured there would probably be a heavy police presence at the Texas/New Mexico border, but the report says there wasn’t a Texas state trooper in sight near the border at around noon on Friday.
Recreational marijuana should provide a big boost to the New Mexico economy, especially as long as it is illegal here in Texas if last weekend was any indication.
From midnight on Friday through Sunday at 11:59 pm, dispensaries in New Mexico sold a total of $5.2 million worth of marijuana, with recreational marijuana accounting for almost 70% of sales, according to KVIA.
New Mexico predicts recreational marijuana will generate around $50 million in tax revenue during the first year of recreational marijuana sales. That’s huge.
Here’s to hoping legislators in the Lone Star State will take notice and move forward with marijuana legalization here.