How to become a licensed Cannabis Producer in New Mexico
The Information You Need To Know
By Joshua C. Smith
The annual fee for a cannabis producer license is $2,500, and there is a $1,000 annual fee for each licensed cannabis producer premise. You will also be charged a fee of $10.00 for every mature cannabis plant that you’ll be growing at any one time. The maximum number of mature cannabis plants that a cannabis producer can grow at any one time is 8,000 plants. There are four plant fee levels for a cannabis producer from which you can select the number of plants you will grow – Level 1: 201-1,000 mature cannabis plants; Level 2: 1,001-3,000 mature cannabis plants; Level 3: 3,001-6,000 mature cannabis plants; and, Level 4: 6,001-8,000 plants.
“It is crucial that you seek quality assistance to ensure your application gets approved and you are in compliance”
What Will You Need To Apply?
1. A Social and economic equity plan. This plan should describe your plan to encourage economic and social diversity in employment. This plan should include race, ethnicity, gender, age, and residential status of the licensee, all controlling persons and employees of your business and whether you, controlling persons, employees or the locations where the cannabis products are produced are located in an underserved rural community, including tribal, acequia, land grant-merced, federally designated opportunity zone, or other rural historic communities.
- The diagram must show (as applicable):
- the boundaries of the property and the proposed premises to be licensed;
- the dimensions of each area that cannabis plants will be cultivated;
- the location(s) and the dimensions of other areas where other horticulture will be cultivated; and,
- where all cameras are located and assign a number to each camera for identification purposes.
3. Premises Ownership
- You must provide fully executed and dated documentation of your ownership or legal authority to use the property, buildings, or other facilities, establishing the applicant is, or will be, entitled to possession of the premises for which the application is made.
4. Water Rights
- Please provide demonstration of a legal right to use the quantity of water that the division determines is needed for cannabis production, as evidenced by either:
- Documentation from a water provider that the applicant has the right to use water from the provider and that the use of water from cannabis production is compliant with provider’s rules: or
- Documentation from the office of the state engineer showing that the applicant has a valid and existing water right, or a permit to develop a water right, for irrigation purposes for outdoor cultivation, or a commercial purpose for indoor cultivation at the proposed place of use of the cannabis establishment. The documentation may include any of the following:
- a state engineer permit or license in good standing, but not including a permit issued pursuant to Sections 72-12-1, -1.1, -1.2, or -1.3, NMSA 1978;
- a subfile order or decree issued by a water rights adjudication court;
- the findings of an office of the state engineer hydrographic survey; or
- other documentation the office of the state engineer has deemed in writing as acceptable.
5. Water and Energy Use Plan
You must provide a plan to use, or certification that you cannot feasibly use, energy and water reduction opportunities, including:
- a) drip irrigation and water collection;
- b) natural lighting and energy efficiency measures;
- c) renewable energy generation; and
- d) estimated water and energy use related to the applicants cultivation plan.
6. Current business License
7. Fire inspection report
8. Zoning Approval
How To Get Approved?
Hiring an experienced Cannabis consultant who has helped 100’s of businesses obtain state licenses through out the United States will give you the best chance of getting your application approved. Joshua C. Smith is an experienced cannabis consultant who has helped businesses throughout the United States obtain Cannabis licenses. Call him for a free consultation.