New Mexico Cannabis Wholesalers Face Federal Seizures at Border Checkpoints

Licensed cannabis wholesalers in New Mexico are having their marijuana goods taken by officials from the United States Customs and Border Patrol at checkpoints in the state. New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is taking action to address this issue.

According to Michael Coleman, the state’s Director of Communications, the governor recently expressed her concerns to Alejandro Mayorkas, who is in charge of Homeland Security. An email statement from Coleman read, in part, that “during the conversation, the governor noted that industry operators in border states where cannabis is legal appear to be at greater risk of scrutiny and arrest by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents than those in non-border states that have legalized cannabis.” This was one of the claims that Coleman made.

According to the New Mexico Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, federal authorities have prevented twelve licensed cannabis firms in the state of New Mexico from operating and have taken possession of more than three hundred thousand dollars worth of merchandise. By federal law, which stipulates that marijuana is prohibited, the seizures are being carried out. When it comes to this particular matter, federal law takes precedence over state law. This is because the state law of New Mexico states that both recreational cannabis and medical marijuana are lawful.

Under the assurance of Secretary Mayorkas, the governor was given the assurance that the federal government’s policy regarding the legalization of cannabis has not altered. Coleman noted that regardless of the situation, the governor and her administration are formulating a plan to safeguard the cannabis business in the state of New Mexico.

The governor of New Mexico has been working with the director of the Cannabis Control Division, Todd Stevens, to find a solution to the problem. Coleman asserts that Stevens has communicated with authorities in other states that have legalized cannabis and border patrol checkpoints, and these officials have not reported experiencing the same problem. During an interview with KRQE News 13, Coleman stated, “At this point, it appears that New Mexico is the only state affected by these seizures, and we are working to understand why.”

In an interview with KRQE News 13, Stevens stated that licensed cannabis businesses that have had their products seized should get in touch with the Civil Control Authorities.

To obtain a comment, KRQE News 13 contacted the Department of Homeland Security. When we published this article, we did not receive any comments from readers.