SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A proposal to let New Mexico voters decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana has stalled in committee and is likely dead for the year.
The state Senate Rules Committee voted 5-5 yesterday against sending the constitutional amendment to another committee for consideration. The proposal would have made it legal for adults 21 and over to possess and use marijuana.
The plan likely would have faced difficulty in the Legislature. And Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, an Albuquerque Democrat who sponsored the measure, says he sees little chance of the issue being revived this session. But he says he will try again next year.
Colorado and Washington state have legalized marijuana. Pot stores opened in Colorado last month, and sales should start in Washington later this year.