Marijuana Now Decriminalized in New Mexico’s Most Populated City (Just in Time for 4/20)
An ordinance decriminalizing the possession of personal amounts of marijuana has officially taken effect in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The new law coincidentally (or maybe not!) takes effect on 4/20, the unofficial cannabis holiday (the law officially took effect as the clocks hit midnight MDT). The law taking effect comes a little over two weeks after it was passed by the city council in a 5 to 4 vote, and eight days after it was signed into law by Mayor Tim Keller (D).
Under the new law, the possession of up to an ounce (28 grams) of marijuana is a simple $25 ticket, rather than a misdemeanor punishable by jail time as it was before. The measure was filed by Councilmembers Pat Davi and Isaac Benton.
“At the end of the day, our police officers have more important things to do”, says Davis.
Albuquerque is by far the most populated city in New Mexico with approximately 560,000 residents, which is roughly a fourth of all residents in New Mexico (which has a population of slightly over 2 million).
