This is pretty much a must read for NM legislators and Governor as they continue to weigh legalizing recreational marijuana.

When states legalize pot for all adults, long-standing medical marijuana programs take a big hit, in some cases losing more than half their registered patients in just a few years, according to a data analysis by The Associated Press. Much of the decline comes from consumers who, ill or not, got medical cards in their states because it was the only way to buy marijuana legally and then discarded them when broader legalization arrived. But for people who truly rely on marijuana to control ailments such as nausea or cancer pain , the arrival of so-called recreational cannabis can mean fewer and more expensive options.

And this factoid could help keep the legalization train parked at the station in Santa Fe:

Participation in the state's medical cannabis program has grown rapidly to 73,000 people after chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder were added to a list of qualifying conditions.

Throw in the bill approved in the last legislative session that decriminalizes possession of half an ounce or less of weed and you can hear the momentum draining away from the legalization crowd.

BIG BILL ON 2020

Former Governor Big Bill says his advice to the 2020 presidential candidates should be " perhaps taken with a grain of salt" since his own Prez campaign in '08 "fizzled." But, writing in the Boston Globe, he forges ahead anyway and offers a list of do's and dont's for the Dem contenders:

On the electoral front, don’t put all your eggs in one or two baskets, like I did in Iowa and New Hampshire, which favor more established candidates. Concentrate on a state that is not too crowded with other candidates and that’s early and manageable, like Nevada. And look around the corner and pick a few states where you can score on Super Tuesday.

And the former two term Governor, 71, who splits his time between homes in Santa Fe and Cape Cod in Massachusetts, has a 2020 prediction:

When I ran for president in 2008, the Democratic campaign was essentially a three-person race at the onset, a contest between Senators Barack Obama, John Edwards, and Hillary Clinton. The voters wanted glamor and charisma, not resumes and credentials. But this year seems different: Voters will either go for the most electable candidate against President Donald Trump or generational change, and a relatively young new face.

With 23 Dems running that "relatively young new face" could be one of a dozen.

WHERE ARE WE?

For those of us of a certain age ABQ often seems a town we no longer recognize. The news:

Volunteers, city, and county workers spend about one hour four times per month picking up needles and syringes around Bernalillo County. It is an initiative. . . by the county's Department of Behavioral Health Services (DBHS). "When we go out and find a lot of needles, yes, we feel some kind of satisfaction saying, 'oh, I picked up 150 needles today," said Michael Hess, a statistical analyst for DBHS. "But on the other hand, that means this is a place where there's a lot of people who are hurting who are using drugs and that's not a good feeling."

HAVING FUN YET?

On the flip side of the negativity the personal finance site WalletHub says New Mexico is one of the better states to have fun in. In fact, compared to our usual dreary national rankings, fun-loving New Mexicans catapult us into 15th place in 2019's "Most Fun States In America":

With pure enjoyment in mind, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 26 key indicators of a jolly good time that won’t break the bank. They range from movie costs to accessibility of national parks to casinos per capita.

However, when it comes to "nightlife" the sleepy Land of Enchantment slips to #33. So take your nap then get your party shoes on this weekend and help us climb that fun ladder.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019