Status: Medical Use

History:

2007: Medical cannabis legalised
2019: Possession of small amounts of cannabis decriminalised to a petty misdemeanour

Policy Framework:

• To qualify for medical cannabis, it must be recommended to patients by a physician for treatment of certain qualifying conditions;
• An allowance is made for patients to cultivate medical cannabis in their own homes. Up to 16 plants are allowed per household with 12 being immature and four being mature;
• Patients must be registered to access the medical cannabis programme;
• Medical cannabis can only be obtained from a state-licensed dispensary;
• Estimated number of registered patients 80,000;
• Possession of less than 0.5oz (15g) of cannabis for recreational use is decriminalised with a maximum penalty of a $US50 fine;
• Possession of up to 8oz (226g) of cannabis is a misdemeanour punishable by up to a year in prison and fines of up to $US1000;
• Possession of more than 8oz is a felony punishable by up to 1.5 years in prison and a fine of up to $US5000;
• Distribution of any amount of cannabis is a felony punishable by up to 18 years in prison and fines of up to $US15,000;
• Cultivation of any amount of cannabis (if an individual is not a registered medical cannabis patient) is a felony punishable by up to 18 years in prison and fines of up to $US15,000.

Outcomes:

• Between 2005 and 2017, cannabis use disorder in people over the age of 12 decreased from 2.2% to 1.7%;
• In 2018, sales of medical marijuana reached $US54.2 million.

Source: https://crime-data-explorer.fr.cloud.gov/explorer/state/new-mexico/crime