SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – The U.S. Border Patrol has announced that marijuana shipments (commercial state-licensed supply It claims the power to seize goods (including goods). Checkpoint in southern New Mexico.
New Mexico’s Democratic governor said the unrest prompted him to consult with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose impeachment charge was dismissed this week. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she has expressed concern that New Mexico appears to have more oversight of cannabis companies than states with regulated markets not along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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Since regulating and taxing the recreational market began two years ago, licensed cannabis sales in New Mexico have exceeded $1 billion. But cannabis drivers typically spent hours on end while their supplies were seized at Border Patrol checkpoints, located about 100 kilometers from the U.S. border, that block the flow of illegal immigrants and illegal drugs. He also said he was detained.
Traffic entering the United States from Mexico at the border station in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. This photo was taken on March 14, 2012. U.S. Border Patrol is asserting its right to seize cannabis shipments, including state-licensed commercial supplies, amid complaints. Licensed marijuana suppliers report more than $300,000 worth of marijuana has been seized at Border Patrol highway checkpoints in southern New Mexico in recent months. (AP Photo/Jeri Clausing)
“Secretary Mayorkas assured the governor that federal policy regarding legalized cannabis has not changed,” Lujan Grisham spokesman Michael Coleman said in an email. “Regardless, the governor and his administration are working on a strategy to protect New Mexico’s cannabis industry.”
Owners of 10 cannabis businesses, including trucking companies, told New Mexico’s congressional delegation last week that jobs and investments are at risk, and that several truckers are facing “secondary inspections.” They petitioned to broker free passage for the cargo, noting that they were excluded and fingerprinted at Border Patrol checkpoints.
“We urge businesses whose products have been seized by the federal government to either return their products or receive financial compensation for the losses they have suffered,” the letter said.
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich said the Department of Homeland Security should focus on urgent priorities that don’t include cannabis suppliers complying with state laws.
“The Department of Homeland Security should be focused on stopping illicit fentanyl from entering our country, not seizing marijuana that is being transported under state law,” the senator said in a statement. , referring to the parent agency of U.S. Customs. and border patrol. “New Mexicans depend on federal law enforcement to do everything they can to keep our communities safe. Our resources are being used to maximize the safety of our residents. should be used and should not be a distraction from the safety of residents.”
An official statement Thursday from the U.S. Border Patrol Division, which serves New Mexico, reminded that marijuana remains a “Schedule 1” drug, a designation also assigned to heroin and LSD.
“While medical and recreational cannabis may be legal in some U.S. states and Canada, the sale, possession, production, distribution, or promotion of cannabis remains illegal under U.S. federal law. Yes,” the agency said in a statement. “As a result, individuals who violate the Controlled Substances Act when crossing a border, arriving at a U.S. port of entry, or encountered at a Border Patrol checkpoint will be considered inadmissible and/or subject to seizure, fines, and / or may be subject to arrest.”
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Matt Kennicott, owner of Hi-Maintenance, a Socorro-based cannabis business, said Border Patrol seizures began without warning in February, creating uncertainty for shipments containing samples for consumer safety testing. He said that this is occurring. He said cannabis producers in southernmost New Mexico rely on testing laboratories far north, on the other side of Border Patrol checkpoints, to comply with safety measures against contaminants such as mold and pesticides. He said that
“It’s not just a little confusing, it’s a lot of confusing,” he said. “We’re trying to figure out where this directive came from.”
