SANTA FÉ, N.M. The main topic of discussion on Monday, Feb. 5, was whether drive-up sales were to be banned.
There are many cannabis retailers in the state. Some of them want to stand out from the rest and offer better customer service. A drive-through window is one way to achieve this. There is disagreement among lawmakers about whether this would be a good idea.
Carrie Hamblen, D-Dona Ana, told senators on the Senate floor that “this is about patient access.” For some people, especially those with children or pets, using drive-throughs is safer and easier. In the vast majority New Mexico, cannabis delivery is not feasible.
Other lawmakers compared drive-through cannabis sales to drive-through alcohol sales. Mark Moores, R-Abq., said that one would have to be high in order to consider selling weed to a stranger in a vehicle with whom you will never interact. “Some of arguments I heard today. . . The liquor industry used the same arguments to justify drive-up window service.”
Hamblen responded to those who compared the cannabis industry with the alcohol industry by saying that it would be more sensible to compare drive-thru cannabis stores to a pharmacy rather than a liquor store.
The lawmakers ultimately decided to go forward with the idea to allow retailers to sell marijuana via drive-up window. The Senate decided to increase protections for those who provide information about illegal activities that are reported to the Cannabis Control Division by making records of cannabis investigations pending exempt from public access. The bill also allows the state to suspend cannabis seller’s licenses when there are pending criminal investigations or indictments involving fraud, deceit, or embezzlement.
Before any changes can be made to the Cannabis Regulation Act, the bill must still be approved by the Governor and debated by legislators in the New Mexico House of Representatives.
