New Mexico is beginning preparation for marijuana dispensaries. Support for politicians to push legalization for recreational cannabis has garnered so much interest that there are voter guides to know which politicians would legalize it.

New Mexico joined 18 other states in fully legalizing recreational cannabis as of June 29, 2021, KRQE reported. Since then, hundreds of applicants have flooded the state for permits to sell recreational marijuana. 

“There’s no limit to the amount of licenses that can be issued, as long as they’re able to meet the law in the Cannabis Regulation Act and the rules and requirements set forth by the Division and the Department,” Victor Reyes, deputy superintendent of the Regulation & Licensing Department, said to KRQE. 

The goal is to transform established medical marijuana shops, smoke shops, an old strip club, and other closed businesses into dispensaries in the spring, across the state.

In Albuquerque alone, 80 locations plan to open a recreational cannabis shop on April 1.

Some residents are not happy about the new legislation, due to safety concerns regarding marijuana shops being robbed at gunpoint.

The state law gives local municipalities the power to regulate where the stores are located; in Albuquerque, shops can’t be within 300 feet of a school or daycare and 600 feet of another store.

As of Feb. 11, the Cannabis Control Division has received 404 applications and approved 20 of those, and they are expecting more to come.