Bernalillo County commissioners approve cannabis regulations

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Bernalillo County commissioners approved regulations for the commercial production, processing, sale and consumption of cannabis in the county.

"This is an evolving industry and it wouldn’t surprise me if we were back in this ordinance making adjustments in the near future and beyond that as well," said Nicholas Hamm, a zoning administrator with Bernalillo County.

Highlights of the regulations include:

• Personal production and consumption is permitted in all county zones
• All growers, producers, dispensary, or lounge owners shall be licensed
• All licensed facilities must be at least 300 feet from a school or day care
• Outdoor production is allowed, subject to area limitations tied to the size of the property
• Production and processing facilities must be properly ventilated to include a carbon filtration system
• Lounges, or businesses that sell consumables, including cannabis flowers, must also have a carbon filtration system
• Lounges cannot allow smoking of cannabis flowers outdoors; however, smoking is allowed inside a building, meeting county requirements
• Access to cannabis consumption areas open to consumers is restricted to persons 21 years of age and older.

To see the cannabis regulations in full, click here.