How to find New Mexico’s adult-use marijuana stores
Chris KudialisPublished on March 29, 2022· Last updated April 28, 2022
Looking for an open recreational weed store in New Mexico? We've got you covered. (Sasha Beck illustration / Leafly)
Retail cannabis sales for all adults will begin on Friday, April 1, 2022, in New Mexico.
And unlike in most of the other rec-legal states, where individual municipalities and counties have the ultimate say in allowing sales, New Mexico’s legalization law requires all local governments to permit cannabis dispensaries. As a result, 118 medical dispensaries will be open for recreational buyers starting on the morning of April 1.
Keep reading to find out where you can purchase the plant, how to navigate national parks and tribal lands with marijuana, and the particulars of New Mexico’s adult-use cannabis law.
New Mexico’s first recreational cannabis stores already exist—as medical marijuana dispensaries. The stores listed below are licensed to sell to all adults 21 and older starting April 1.
We’ve called ahead and confirmed the stores that definitely will be open for recreational sales on April 1. Don‘t forget to bring your cash and state-issued ID.
Leafly’s New Mexico dispensary finder already lists the state’s medical outlets. Starting April 1, we’ll have the latest information on both recreational and medical cannabis stores near you.
Download the Leafly app to locate the nearest store with a single tap.
Opening day cancelled in Roswell: Sorry, folks. Dispensaries in the city of Roswell will not be selling cannabis to non-patients on April 1. City officials have been slow-walking the permitting process that would allow existing dispensaries to sell to all adults 21 and older.
Your local Roswell city council members are always happy to hear from you. If you’d like to voice your opinion on this issue, contact information is available here.
In crafting the state’s adult-use cannabis program, New Mexico officials offered some guidance on cannabis consumption lounges, where adults can use the plant legally in an indoor venue similar to a hookah lounge. But those plans have yet to materialize. For the time being, marijuana consumption is legal only at private residences where the owner has given permission for people inside to use the plant.
Unlike dispensaries, cannabis lounges are subject to local laws and regulations – meaning local governments can ban them altogether.
Reminder: Don’t take weed into national parks
New Mexico’s popular national parks might seem like perfect places to light up while beholding a plethora of beautiful natural scenery. But it’s important to remember that national parks are federally operated and regulated, and that possessing, selling, or consuming cannabis on federal land is still illegal.
Getting busted with weed in national parks can lead to huge penalties, including criminal convictions, fines and probation—even for residents of marijuana-legal states.
Look for tribal stores to open soon
Tribal reservations, which are considered their own sovereign nations, may also soon offer cannabis sales.
While federal law generally applies on the reservations, New Mexico’s tribes have signed a compact with the office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to negotiate separate deals with state authorities to permit dispensaries.
A state spokeswoman said while no agreements have yet been made, the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo and the Picuris Pueblo tribes have both began negotiations to open marijuana stores on their lands in the coming months.
