Like many people in our beautiful state, the team at Sacred Garden is definitely keeping a sharp eye on the possible legalization of recreational marijuana.
We talk about how a recent bill that would have made recreational marijuana legal stalled in the Senate (after passing in the New Mexico House!) here, but, in short, we are confident that the tide is turning in our state and we will soon join the 10 other states that have legalized it.
One interesting question that has come up for our customers on a number of occasions is what—if anything—legalizing recreational marijuana in New Mexico would mean for the many people who use it for medical reasons. This concern certainly has merit, so we wanted to look into the topic to see what we could learn.
As Las Cruces Sun News notes (1), some employees with medical cannabis cards have unfortunately been fired from their jobs—all because they tested positive for marijuana while at work. Federal and state judges alike have ruled in favor of the business owners in three cases—they found that the employees were not protected under state or federal law for using marijuana, which was a violation of company policies.
If our state does legalize recreational marijuana, it could include some protections for employees who use marijuana—either for medicinal or recreational reasons—outside of work. What we have read is that this legislation would make it against the law for a business to take action against workers for the way they conduct themselves off company premises.
Will Legal Recreational Marijuana Impact the Availability for Medical Marijuana Users?
This is another thought-provoking question that we have heard from time to time—both in our store and when speaking with others about this topic. It’s definitely something to be aware of—in fact, an article by the CBC (2) discusses this very situation that took place in Canada. In some cases, Canadians who use cannabis for medical reasons have found it difficult to obtain their medical marijuana, because some companies that sell it are switching to the recreational market.
In addition, if and when recreational marijuana is made legal in New Mexico, there is a chance that the surge in sales of cannabis for non-medical reasons will have an impact on the supply. Of course, this has not happened yet, so it’s hard to judge accurately, but it does make sense that if more people are able to legally purchase and use marijuana, then the supply will naturally go down—at least until retailers are able to order larger stocks than before and keep their shelves full.
We would encourage our valued customers to, like we do, continue to stay up to date on the latest news surrounding the legalization of recreational marijuana in our state. At Sacred Garden, we will strive to take great care of our customers and do everything possible to ensure that we have a good inventory of our products at all times.
