This is no April Fool’s joke—recreational cannabis will be available for purchase at dispensaries in New Mexico on Friday, April 1st. Locals in Taos are preparing for the inception of a brand new, very lucrative industry.
There are currently multiple cannabis retailers filing for licenses to sell recreational pot in the state of New Mexico. Although many of these licenses will not be approved by April 1st, the Taos Cannabis Cooperative will be the first dispensary in the Taos area to sell and distribute products grown by local growers with micro-licenses. More dispensaries are set to open in May as licenses are slowly but surely being approved by New Mexico’s legislature.
(PC: Michael Tashji/Taos News)
Taos Cannabis Cooperative was founded by Barbara Crawford, the owner of Southwest Cannabis, an operating medical dispensary in Taos. However, as New Mexico plans to begin recreational sales, Crawford saw the opportunity to start a new venture. The new cooperative is a new business venture to give local growers a platform to sell their products. Crawford will also be selling products from Southwest Cannabis as she waits for more micro-licenses in the area to be approved.
Crawford explained the benefits that the cooperative will bring to both consumers and micro-licensed marijuana retailers in the area to Taos:
“The idea is to have an outlet for micro-licensees who can’t afford retail, want to learn about retail, or want to test their product out at a co-op,” she told Taos News.
The co-op will give small business owners the large platform needed to be successful in the cannabis industry. As the cannabis industry continues to blow up in New Mexico, it is important to support local businesses which are possible by shopping at co-ops. Crawford told Taos News each micro-licensed retailer selling products at her co-op will be offering different strains; satisfying different niches in the cannabis market. In addition, the birth of the recreational cannabis industry will drastically improve New Mexico’s economy. There will be a plethora of job opportunities in many job sectors that will need to be filled by members of the community.
Although recreational marijuana will be available for purchase this coming week in Taos, it is important to note that it is still illegal to spark up wherever you please. You can only smoke in designated legal zones.
What do you think? Will recreational marijuana be a good or bad addition to the Taos area? Leave your thoughts below.
Yeah ruined colorado, good schools, good economy. New Mexico doesn’t want that. Much better to stay one of the poorest states in the country.
Ugh, so crappy. It ruined Colorado but maybe because New Mexico is so late in the game it’ll be less destroyed. Destroyed by teeming hordes of morons moving there to smoke weed.