New Mexico Cannabis Control Division working towards April 1 "Opening Day"
Increasing staffing on the compliance side. Putting the finishing touches on cannabis packaging and labeling rules. Helping New Mexico's businesses navigate software.
And processing more applications.
That’s what the state’s Cannabis Control Division is working through with just a month left before recreational sales begin in the state, director Kristen Thomson told Albuquerque Business First on Tuesday.
"We've got a really broad scope of work here," Thomson said. "We're working closely to identify those issues and make sure that we clarify anything that needs clarification prior to opening day."
When is opening day? Well, that’s still up in the air. The Cannabis Regulation Act states that sales of recreational cannabis can begin no later than April 1, but also that the division in charge can determine when that happens.
In this case, that's the CCD.
The CCD is working with the April 1 date in mind but that "anything can happen" between now and then, Thomson told Business First. Currently, she said, the CCD is working with producers, manufacturers and retailers to get everything set in place for BioTrack, the state’s track and trace system.
New Mexico has an existing contract with BioTrack, which offers software to track the number of cannabis plants harvested, products sold and — most importantly — sales to medical and recreational cannabis consumers.
And there is other work to be done before sales can begin. This includes communicating with cannabis businesses and outlining testing requirements, among other things.