One of the Consequences of Legalizing Marijuana in New Mexico.

Category: Front Page News Front Page News
Published: 20 February 2024 20 February 2024

img 1088Marijuaa Dispensary

By Frost McGahey, Investigative Journalist.

In 2021 New Mexico was 26th in number of burglaries. The next year the state was first in the nation.* What was the cause of the dramatic rise in burglaries?

On April 12, 2021, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, signed the bill to legalize adult recreational use of marijuana, the Cannabis Regulation Act. It had been passed by the state legislature rather than being put to a popular vote.

The legislation was sponsored by Democratic lawmakers. The bill passed the New Mexico House of Representatives with a vote of 38-32 and the Senate with a vote of 22-15. District 28 State Senator Siah Correa Hemphill voted for it.** Not a single Republican voted for this bill which included State Representative Luis Terrazas.

Law enforcement knows there is a link between drug use and burglaries. According to former Silver City police detective Jory Bascom, "In 2016 the Investigations Division started to increase arrests and charges for possession of narcotics which reduced the number of reported burglaries by almost half over the course of 2 years. And my opinion is that more than 90% of burglaries are committed by drug addicts."

According to the Silver City Police, many of the suspects arrested for burglaries are found by the District Attorney's office to be Incompetent*** and then released. The DA has the option to have the suspect treated until they are competent and then tried for their crime.

Why is Michael Renteria's office not doing this?

*FBI statistics, www.statista.com/statistics/232580/burglary

**Roll Call: NM HB2 | 2021 | 1st Special Session | LegiScan

*** To be competent, a defendant must understand the nature and significance of the proceedings, have a factual understanding of the charges, and is able to assist defense counsel in defendant’s defense.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.