The City of Albuquerque, New Mexico has approved a new Universal Basic Income (UBI) initiative aimed at supporting low-income residents, funded by tax revenue from recreational cannabis sales.
(Photo credit: USA Today).
Spearheaded by Councillor Klarissa Peña, the program is an expansion of the Marijuana Equity and Community Reinvestment Fund, established in 2023 to aid communities adversely affected by marijuana criminalization.
“This money is aside from our budget, it’s a set amount of money that we’re going to be getting every year dedicated to really trying to achieve justice where there was injustice,” Peña said.
The program’s first phase will provide $750 monthly to 80 households over three years. A second group will include 20 families and up to 40 young people identified as “opportunity youth,” according to a statement from the city’s Office of Equity and Inclusion.
Annual cannabis tax revenue is projected to generate $4.02 million. Half will go toward the UBI program through the Office of Equity and Inclusion, while the other half will support seven youth-focused initiatives administered by the Department of Health, Housing and Homelessness. These programs include substance use prevention, treatment and recovery services.
The basic income initiative will focus on Albuquerque’s International District and Westside, specifically targeting families with children attending Whittier Elementary and Carlos Rey Elementary—neighborhoods identified as underserved and economically challenged.
Participants in the UBI program will not be subject to income limits, spending restrictions, or immigration status checks.
“This isn’t a handout, this is a hand up to families who don’t qualify a lot of times for regular entitlement programs,” said Councillor Nichole Rogers. “We can really take a stance on poverty, because that is the root cause of a lot of the things that we’re facing in our community when it comes to homelessness, crime.”
