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WEBVTT AN UPDATE ON THE STATUS OF THAT MARIJUANA BILL. BRANDON: THE DEA REPORTED SEIZING MORE THAN 8600 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA IN 2017. JUST IN NEW MEXICO. BUT LAST YEAR, THAT NUMBER WAS MORE THAN CUT IN HALF TO JUST MORE THAN 4000 POUNDS. DEA AGENTS SAY THEY SAW SIMILAR DROPS ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION, WHICH INCLUDES NEW MEXICO AND PARTS OF WEST TEXAS, LIKE MIDLAND, ALPINE, AND EL PASO. FOR THE ENTIRE REGION, THE DEA CONFISCATED CLOSE TO 70,000 POUNDS IN 2017. 2018 SAW THE DEA SEIZE JUST OVER 40,000 POUNDS. MEANWHILE, HOUSE BILL 356, WHICH WOULD MAKE RECREATIONAL USE OF MARIJUANA LEGAL FOR PEOPLE OVER 21, CLEARED ITS FIRST HURDLE IN THE HOUSE, PASSING THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE YESTERDAY BY A 5-2 VOTE. PEOPLE WE SPOKE WITH TODAY SAY THEY SUPPORT THE BILL SIMPLY FOR WHAT IT COULD DO FOR THE NEW MEXICO ECONOMY. >> MAYBE MARIJUANA’S NOT FOR EVERYBODY. IT’S DEFINITELY NOT FOR ME, BUT I THINK THE FINANCIAL BENEFIT OF MARIJUANA IS GOING TO HELP OUR STATE. BRANDON: SOME POINTED AT WHAT OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH HAVE GAINED. >> ALL THE NUMBERS ARE THERE. ALL WE HAVE GOT TO DO IS LOOK AT COLORADO. WE SHOULD HAVE DONE IT A LONG TIME AGO. BRANDON: COLORADO’S GOVERNMENT WEBSITE SHOWS THE STATE HAS MADE MORE THAN $900 MILLION IN MARIJUANA TAXES, LICENSES, AND FEE REVENUE SINCE 2014 THEY MADE MORE THAN $266 MILLION OF THAT IN 2018 ALONE. STILL, HOUSE BILL 356 IS A LONG WAY FROM BECOMING LAW, AND TIME IS BECOMING AN ISSUE. HOUSE BILL 356 STILL HAS TO MAKE IT THROUGH A HANDFUL OF OTHER COMMITTEES AND BE APPROVED BY BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE BEFORE THE 60-DAY LEGISLATIVE SESSION ENDS IN MID-MARC

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The Drug Enforcement Administration is seizing less marijuana in New Mexico.This comes as a bill to legalize recreational use of the drug works its way through the state House.The DEA reported seizing 8,610 pounds of marijuana in 2017.Last year, that number dropped to 4,048 pounds.DEA agents said they saw similar drops across the entire region, which includes New Mexico and parts of west Texas, like Midland, Alpine and El Paso.For the entire region, the DEA confiscated 69,974 pounds in 2017.2018 saw the DEA seize 40,580 pounds. Meanwhile, House Bill 356, which would make recreational use of marijuana legal for people over 21, cleared its first hurdle in the House, passing the Health and Human Services Committee on Saturday with a 5-2 vote. Some people in Albuquerque said they support the bill simply for what it could do for the New Mexico economy.“Maybe marijuana is not for everybody. It's definitely not for me. But I think the financial benefit of marijuana is going to help our state,” resident Kamran Omidvar said. Others pointed at what our neighbors to the north have gained.“All the numbers are there. All you have to do is look at Colorado. We should have done it a long time ago,” resident Nick Thiel said.Colorado's government website shows the state has made $905,508,416 in marijuana taxes, licenses and fee revenue since 2014.The state made $266,529,637 of that in 2018 alone. Still, House Bill 356 is a long way from becoming law, and time is now becoming an issue.House Bill 356 still has to make it through a handful of other committees and be approved by both the House and the Senate before the 60-day legislative session ends in mid-March.The 140-page bill calls for a 19 percent tax on recreational marijuana sales and would throw out criminal records for marijuana-related arrests and convictions.