As CEO of Ultra Health, which operates more than two dozen licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in New Mexico, Duke Rodriguez is a major voice in the state’s cannabis industry. Nearly three years after legal retail sales began in New Mexico, Rodriguez says the industry has been turned upside down. 

Prior to legalization, Rodriguez said the state had 35 licensees. Now, it’s over 3,000. Rodriguez says there is no more growth in the industry due to the oversaturation. “The green rush is officially dead,” he said on the latest episode of “Conversations Different.” 

Rodriguez talks about the need to slow down licensing, to crack down on the illicit market and require inspection prior to licensure. He says a rise in crime in the state has impacted his businesses, with frequent break-ins but no perpetrators being prosecuted.

The former Cabinet secretary for the state Human Services Department also talks about his time under former Gov. Gary Johnson, who first called for the legalization of marijuana in 1999. Rodriguez then talks about the race for governor, bringing up possible candidates and addressing his potential involvement. 

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