ESTANCIA (KRQE). The Cannabis Control Division has revoked another two cannabis licenses. Two farms in Torrance county were accused of having too many plants, pests and other violations. After formal hearings, each farm will be fined $1 million.
CCD compliance officers discovered “multiple alarming” violations at Bliss Farm near Estancia. The regulators have cited Bliss Farm for 17 violations. They also say that there is evidence of some plants being sold illegally and without proper documentation. The regulators say that the farm grew thousands more plants than what their license allowed.
The CCD cites eight violations at a farm operated by Native American Agricultural Development Company. According to the CCD, they had inadequate security measures, badly maintained facilities, as well as evidence of improper recordkeeping. The regulators estimated the farm exceeded the allowed plant number by approximately 38,000 plants.
Todd Stevens said, in a release, that “Compliance with the industry is CCD’s top priority, and our office is dedicated to ensuring New Mexicans can access safe cannabis products.” Todd Stevens is the Director of the Cannabis Control Division. The team diligently worked on these two cases to determine appropriate actions for violations of a magnitude we had never seen before. These outcomes were justified by law due to the egregious behavior of these individuals. I hope that this serves as a warning to others who may be breaking the rules and laws the state has set forth.
Since recreational cannabis was legalized in New Mexico in 2016, the state has revoked 6 cannabis licenses, including the two that are mentioned in this article. CCD reports that the state has fined more than $2.3 million to combat illegal cannabis activity.
