The New Mexico House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee recently blocked House Bill 157, cannabis product safety legislation, on a tie vote.
HB 157 would have codified packaging requirements for cannabis products to protect children’s safety and was drafted in response to reports of cannabis distribution in New Mexico schools.
The Cannabis Product Safety Bill was defeated on a vote of 3-3, as Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Thompson of Albuquerque voted in favor, along with Republican Reps. Stefani Lord of Sandia Park and John Block of Alamogordo.
“Our schools and educators are calling on this legislature to ensure that our laws are clear that cannabis packaging meets commonsense standards in order to protect the safety of our children and schools,” HB 157 sponsor Rep. Andrea Reeb (R-Clovis) said in a news release.
“I have heard from many school districts across the state, and of course many New Mexicans have seen cannabis incident reports in our school systems, and HB 157 is designed to strengthen our state’s position on protecting safety for our children,” she added.
New Mexican public schools' officials have remarked how often they come across cannabis products in their schools.
Belen Consolidated Schools mentioned how it had to send a student to the hospital after they ate several servings of cannabis candy. Portales Municipal Schools stated it had a similar situation with Chex Mix laced with THC.
Santa Fe Public Schools said, “we have the same problem and had to educate our staff before school on what to look for.”
House Schools, Hobbs Schools and Tularosa Municipal Schools have all seen more students use THC products as well.
Alamogordo Public Schools stated that, “we would greatly appreciate the support and assistance in identifying and educating students and families on the unsuspecting packaging and better understand where and how students are gaining access to these items.”
Rio Rancho Public Schools says it only has one alcohol, drug and substance abuse counselor in its district, and they are overwhelmed.
New Mexico passed the Cannabis Regulation Act on March 31, 2021, which legalized recreational and medical marijuana in some forms for adults 21 years or older.
Possession in public of more than 2 ounces, smoking cannabis in public, underage possession, driving under the influence of marijuana, and transporting it across state lines, were all illegal.