The sale of recreational cannabis is nearing closer, and applications from businesses looking to attain producer licenses are racking up.
That’s according to the Cannabis Control Division of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department. So far, 1,558 prospective growers have begun the application process since Aug. 25, spokesperson Heather Brewer said. Fifty-eight completed applications have been submitted as of Monday, she said.
According to documents obtained from the state, 14 producers and micro businesses had fully submitted their applications for a growing license to CCD in the first two days the application process opened.
A micro business, according to CCD, can grow between 101 and 200 plants. Depending upon the tier of license a grower applies for, they can grow up to 8,000 plants.
Brewer said there isn’t a limit on the number of applications the CCD will accept. Nor is there a limit on how many licenses CCD can approve for prospective growers, she said.
In comparison, about 33 cannabis producers have growing licenses with the state, Brewer said. Asked if CCD expects to there to be more licensed producers for recreational cannabis than medical, she said "it does appear that way."
But prospective growers must meet a list of stringent requirements, such as a business license and water rights, if they look to get approved.
Sixty-eight-year-old Carol Sue Penner, of Truth or Consequences, was one of the first prospective growers in the state to submit an application for a growing license. She did so, along with her son Shane Hawks and business partner Walter Laskay, under the business name Rey Verde LLC.
For Penner and Hawks, the microbusiness growing license they applied for is of a more personal nature.
Hawks was shot in 2009 at close range with a shotgun, Penner said. He became dependent upon prescribed opioids to aid his recovery. But eventually he found medical cannabis, which he also has a growing license for, and has since cut out all pain medication.
Penner said the benefits of recreational cannabis opens the door for more people to see its benefits.
"There are people that may have conditions that [cannabis can help], and they're going to doctors that aren't on the approved list for medical marijuana," Penner said. "But they could still benefit from it. So, this is our way of kind of stepping in that direction, but our products will be recreational also."
Together, the three plan to start a small cannabis production company where they’d sell to local manufacturers and retail stores.
If Rey Verde’s license is approved, it will be one of the first recreational microbusiness producer licenses issued in the state.
As of Tuesday, CCD hasn’t yet approved a producer license, Brewer said, adding that the division has 90 days to review and issue a decision. But the department is hoping to get prospective growers a decision sooner.