New Mexico Governor Expresses Frustration with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Over Seizures of Weed from Licensed Marijuana Companies
In a recent phone call with an unidentified federal official, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham expressed her frustration with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the seizures of weed from licensed marijuana companies. The governor was reportedly “offended” by Mayorkas’ response to the issue, which has caused at least a dozen seizures of regulated cannabis by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at immigration checkpoints in southern New Mexico.
Despite the 2021 legalization of recreational marijuana in the state, federal law allows CBP to establish immigration checkpoints within 100 miles of the border with Mexico. This has put New Mexico’s regulated cannabis industry at risk, with Governor Lujan Grisham’s director of communications Michael Coleman reporting that the governor raised the issue with Mayorkas to protect the industry, which has already generated over $1 billion in sales.
“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 CBP agents than those in non-border states,” Coleman wrote in an email statement. “Secretary Mayorkas assured the governor that federal policies with respect to legalized cannabis have not changed, but the governor and her administration are still working on a strategy to protect New Mexico’s cannabis industry.”
In a recording of a call with an unidentified federal official, which has been confirmed as authentic by Politico, Governor Lujan Grisham expressed her dissatisfaction with Mayorkas’ response to her concerns. She stated that she felt “boxed in” by the federal government’s actions and was concerned about the seizures from licensed cannabis companies.
“The secretary said to me, just so you know: ‘Who cares? They make a lot of money,'” the governor can be heard saying in the recording. “I thought that was really inappropriate. Well, first of all, it’s patients’ medicine. So, I was really offended by that. Shame on him.”
Lujan Grisham also expressed her concern for small producers who could potentially go out of business if they lose a load of cannabis due to seizures. She stated that she was not willing to let the federal government “walk all over” her and that she has so far “held off the press” from reporting on the issue.
“Either you have to adjust it or I have to send you a letter saying you’re persecuting the states, you are not using your discretion,” she said. “I can’t have that. I can’t have stories referring to me as feckless. I’m not willing to let Biden walk all over me.”
