The Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners has authorized protocols regarding the sale of non-medical marijuana.
Commissioner Debbie O’Malley said the regulations would provide the county with more options moving forward, according to KRQE News.
“It also gives us the opportunity as mentioned, if we think there’s certain things that need to be adopted codewise, or otherwise, setbacks, landscaping,” she told the station.
Commissioners have placed restrictions on where marijuana can be grown outside in order to control its aroma, and there are rules on where individuals can grow, sell and consume marijuana, although people can apply for an exception.
The news outlet reported that marijuana will become legal for adults to use in the state starting in April, and commissioners and business owners celebrated the rule that those interested in being affiliated with the sale of cannabis in the county would have to apply for a permit. The county would examine applications on a case-by-case basis.
County Zoning Administrator Nicholas Hamm said that the regulations have been modified from a draft presented a month ago as the county tailored input received from the commission, cannabis industry and the general public to establish its guidelines, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
“The county was trying to strike a balance between allowing New Mexicans to consume a now-regulated product in a safe and legal matter, while balancing the needs of the existing community more broadly,” Hamm said.
