Will new governor bring changes in marijuana laws?

Back when she was first running for governor in 2010, Susana Martinez, then the district attorney in Las Cruces, was very clear about her opinion on medical marijuana.

“It is against federal law to distribute marijuana, and there are alternative medications that meet the medical needs of patients,” the future governor wrote in a candidate questionnaire for this newspaper before that year’s primary. She made similar statements in other publications later in her campaign.

But less than a week after taking office in January 2011, Martinez seemed to change her tune. Asked about the issue at a news conference, Martinez said she was still against the medical use of marijuana. But asked whether she’d be pushing legislation to repeal the 2007 law that established the “compassionate cannabis” program, Martinez said, “We have bigger issues we have to deal with, like balancing the $450 million budget deficit and reviving the economy.”