Historic agreements between New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Pueblo of Picuris Gov. Craig Quanchello and Pueblo of Pojoaque Gov. Jenelle Roybal will ensure the pueblos take part in the recreational cannabis industry. Recreational cannabis sales became legal on April 1.
The agreements also ensure pueblos have a role in driving economic development and setting guidelines for the safe production and sale of cannabis while preventing federal enforcement on their tribal lands.
“The economic opportunities provided by the recreational and medical cannabis industries are truly game-changing, and sovereign tribal nations should benefit alongside the state,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said in a release from her office. “With these agreements, the Pueblo of Pojoaque and the Pueblo of Picuris will benefit from this exciting new industry, which is projected to bring $300 million in sales annually and create 11,000 jobs in New Mexico.”
Intergovernmental agreements or IGAs established through the Cannabis Regulation Act, enable tribal communities to participate in the cannabis industry in ways that support community health and public safety while maximizing cross-jurisdiction market opportunities, according to the release.
“I am pleased that the intergovernmental agreement respects the Pueblo’s sovereignty,” Quanchello said. “This creates a meaningful opportunity for the Pueblo to engage in well-regulated and coordinated legal cannabis markets for the benefit and protection of our community, including a framework for ongoing collaboration with the state to protect our shared interests.”
Roybal said the agreement will help maintain “a robust” regulatory environment for the cannabis industry. “We’re very satisfied with this intergovernmental agreement and our ability to work together with the Department on this collaborative effort,” Roybal said in the release. “Cannabis is an exciting new opportunity to diversify our economic development, and revenues from a Pueblo cannabis enterprise will support tribal governmental programs and the surrounding community.”
With cannabis still illegal under federal law, IGAs prevent federal law enforcement action on tribal lands where communities want to participate in the adult-use market in New Mexico.
“New Mexico, the Pueblo of Picuris and the Pueblo of Pojoaque are establishing a new, positive way forward together,” Lujan Grisham said in her release. “Rather than just establishing lines and limits, then each community going its own way, these agreements create real partnerships that provide the framework to meet and discuss in detail the challenges and opportunities we face together in New Mexico.”
The Cannabis Regulation Act, passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Lujan Grisham in 2021, provides for the legal possession, production and sale of adult-use cannabis in New Mexico.