New Mexico Now Has More Cannabis Patients Than Colorado

New Mexico’s medical cannabis program patient enrollment has surpassed Colorado’s patient enrollment for the first time since its inception.

According to data from the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH), the state has 82,147 medical marijuana patients while Colorado has 81,893, Ultra Health reported.

Since Colorado legalized adult-use marijuana in 2014, the state’s medical marijuana program has declined from nearly 115,000 patients to less than 82,000. During the same time period, New Mexico’s medical cannabis patient enrollment increased 667% from 10,708 to over 82,000.

In contrast, Arizona’s medical marijuana program has approximately 230,000 patients.

A recent NMDOH patient survey performed by Research & Polling Inc. found there is a shortage of marijuana available for patients. In the survey, 55% of New Mexico’s dispensaries said they’re unable to keep pace with the demand for medical marijuana. Furthermore, one in four patients in New Mexico claim they were unable to purchase cannabis within the last 90 days because it was out of stock.