One Sure Sign Primary '24 is Hitting its Stride, Plus: On The Pot Watch Beat; Readers React To Rodriguez Column

Rep. Sanchez (LA Daily Post)

Let's start on a lighter note today. If you want to know if the June 4 primary election is starting to heat up take a look at this social media post from District 40 Dem state Rep. Joseph Sanchez of Alcalde:

It has come to my attention that a mug shot of me from about 13 years ago is circulating. This was the result of a warrant for failure to appear in court for a seat belt ticket. I have disclosed this in every questionnaire where the question has been asked whether or not I have ever been arrested and want to set the record straight. Hope everyone has a great day and God bless. 

That's enough proof for us. Primary season is officially here along with the usual tricks of the trade.

Sanchez is unopposed in the June primary. The sole GOP candidates is Diego Olivas of Mora. Sanchez, a conservative Dem, has rankled progressives in Santa Fe but not Republicans.

And yes, we will again have our decades-long watch over who fudges the truth on the ABQ Journal candidate questionnaire on those little questions like seat belt tickets and/or other infractions candidates make foolhardy efforts to cover up.  

There's always several who stumble down that harrowing and unrewarding path but this year we don't think one of them will be Joseph Sanchez. 

POT WATCH

Our Other Voices blog last Thursday authored by Duke Rodriguez, CEO of Ultra Health, the state's largest cannabis retailer, decried the state of the legal pot industry and drew email responses. Here's a sample:

An ABQ reader writes:

Joe, what happened to distancing? There are some pot shops less than 50 yards from each other's property lines. On Fourth Street from I-40 to Montaño I counted 11 and one about to open. The state is making bank on licensing fees and licenses holders who soon learn their pie in the sky boat is sinking fast. Did MLG really think the Cartels would pack up and go away? Maybe she should have put all that effort into a more pressing issue like CYFD, but how many CYFD lobbyists are there? 

Reader David Strip writes: 

While there were many good reasons for decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana, generating tax revenues was not one of them. Anyone who thought that the revenues would have a meaningful impact on state budgets was indulging in fantasy. Unless you thought we were a state of dopers, all you had to do is look at the market size in Colorado, scale for the population, tweak a bit for cross-border sales and you would come up with estimates that are pretty much in line with what we see today. 

Much of Duke Rodriguez's remarks reflect that fantasy. He blames inflation, fentanyl and continued black market sales for the industry's failure to see continued growth. But why should we expect growth? Once the dispensaries opened, some fraction of existing marijuana users stopped buying from black-market sources and some stopped traveling to Colorado. Some number of people who didn't use in the past for a variety of reasons became users. But one would have expected the market to quickly come to equilibrium, and that's exactly what we're seeing. The lack of profitability stems from the over-expansion of the industry.

Reader James O'Neill writes: 

Given the Governor's rah-rah support for the cannabis industry, where are her news releases touting the accomplishments of NM's alcohol industry? Booze and beer pay a lot more taxes. Why not celebrate sales of oxycodone and other narcotics as well? As for Ultra Health and the (few) other big players, they just have to hold on for another year or so to drive out all the small players and finally reap the fat financial rewards they've been dreaming about. No doubt they will use the time to lobby for reduced tax rates since they are such a distressed industry. 

THE BOTTOM LINES

We note the passing of longtime friend, blog reader and public servant Carmie Toulouse who died earlier this month. From her obit: 

She spent 30 years as a civil servant in the NM Human Services Department. . .After her retirement, Carmie dedicated herself to furthering education in New Mexico. She was elected to the CNM Governing Board and served 12 years before being elected to the Public Education Commission where she served 15 years. She shared her talents on many boards and volunteer positions. Carmie loved reading, travel, education, history, car racing, opera, cooking and New Mexico politics.

Carmie Toulouse was 78. 

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