SANTA FE -- A proposal that would have allowed New Mexico voters to decide whether to legalize and regulate marijuana was blocked Tuesday in a Senate committee, though the measure's sponsor vowed to bring it back again next year. <\/p>\n
\"We'll just keep trying it until it happens,\" Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, told reporters. \"I think it's inevitable.\" <\/p>\n
The proposed constitutional amendment, modeled after a new law in Colorado, was stymied on a 5-5 vote in the Senate Rules Committee. The vote likely left the measure deadlocked for the rest of this year's 30-day session, Ortiz y Pino said. <\/p>\n
The committee's four GOP members were joined by Democratic Sen. Clemente Sanchez of Grants in voting against the measure. <\/p>\n
Opponents of the amendment said they are concerned about the public health effects of legalizing recreational marijuana use and don't believe such a change belongs in the state Constitution. <\/p>\n
\"I don't believe smoking a bowl is a constitutional right,\" said Sen. Mark Moores, R-Albuquerque. <\/p>\n
New Mexico Sheriff's Association Executive Director Jack LeVick also testified against the proposal, urging senators to wait and see how Colorado and Washington fare with their marijuana legalization laws before moving forward. <\/p>\n
If approved by lawmakers and voters statewide, the New Mexico legislation -- Senate Joint Resolution 10 -- would have called on lawmakers to return to the issue in 2015 to determine how marijuana might be sold, taxed and regulated in the state. <\/p>\n
That could lead the state down a path like Colorado's. New Mexico's northern neighbor began allowing retail sales of recreational marijuana last month, with a 25 percent tax earmarked to help fund education programs. <\/p>\n
Backers of the amendment say legalizing recreational pot use would create a similar revenue source for New Mexico, while allowing the state to redeploy resources currently used to enforce marijuana laws. <\/p>\n
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New Mexico Blocks Vote on Legalized Pot<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SANTA FE -- A proposal that would have allowed New Mexico voters to decide whether to legalize and regulate marijuana was blocked Tuesday in a Senate committee, though the measure's sponsor vowed to bring it back again next year. \"We'll just keep trying it until it happens,\" Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, told reporters Continue reading