Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) – A proposal by Mayor Tim Keller and City Councilor Renee Grout to further restrict permits for cannabis and smoke shops in Albuquerque didn’t pass during Monday nights city council meeting. The proposal would have increased the minimum distance between new cannabis and smoke shops from 330 feet to 990 feet. Existing businesses would not have been affected. Supporters, including the Albuquerque Police Department, argued that clusters of smoke shops and dispensaries have been linked to areas with higher levels of violent crime and illegal drug activity. Opponents said the proposal unfairly tied legal businesses to broader issues stemming from the opioid crisis.
In June, a 46-year-old man died after being beaten with a bat near a smoke shop on San Pedro Drive and Central Ave. and in July, a man was shot and killed outside a smoke shop on Central Ave and Indiana. Police have made arrests in both of those recent murders.
