New Mexico’s full Senate has narrowly approved an amendment to continue allowing marijuana dispensaries to operate drive-thrus.
(Photo credit: KURE Cannabis Dispensary).
Senate Bill 6, filed by Senator Katy Duhigg (D), would make several changes to the state’s marijuana law, mostly technical. However, a substitute bill advanced by the Senate Judiciary Committee would have placed a ban on marijuana drive-thrus, which are currently allowed in the state.
By a vote of 21 to 20, the full Senate voted yesterday to approve an amendment that strips the bill of the drive-thru ban. The Senate then voted 25 to 15 to pass the bill in its entirety.
Below is the official synopsis of Senate Bill 6:
The Senate Judiciary Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 6 (SJCS/SB6) amends the Cannabis Regulation Act to change definitions, make changes to licensing, allow for licensing denials and disciplinary actions, update background check requirements, update licensing fees, make changes related to packaging and labeling, clarify language related to the trafficking of cannabis products, and repeal an existing date on governance related to plant count so the Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD) can continue to set maximum cannabis plant counts in perpetuity.
The Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) analysis of SJCS/SB6 is limited to education matters and issues concerning school-aged children. As it relates to these topics, SJCS/SB6: 1) adds a new section of law allowing for cannabis training and education programs at public postsecondary educational institutions; 2) amends current law to strengthen language that packaging is child-resistant; and 3) amends current law to more specifically include packaging requirements to prohibit designs that may be appealing to a child.
