In last month’s issue, we discussed El Rito local Michael Nezi’s goal to transition his statewide distributing operation to a locally owned dispensary in Questa, becoming the town’s first such storefront.

The new dispensary is officially a “go” and it will open on April 1. The store will be located at 2339 NM 522 in Questa. Nezi is planning a grand opening on April 19. Rosie’s BBQ will be catering the grand opening and event goers who partake will get discounts on select products. Additionally, a live DJ will be providing entertainment.
After our initial reporting, we heard from community members both in favor of and against the new business setting up shop. We aggregated some of the comments on our social media page, and how Michael Nezi responded to them.

One commenter says, “This would be great for me, I use THC for my cancer.” Michael Nezi posted in response, “Thank you for your perspective and I agree with you wholeheartedly. I am here to serve people like yourself who use cannabis as medicine.”

Another commenter notes, “How much water will they use? What impact on farmers and ranchers agricultural production? Are they pumping water? So many water questions…” Nezi responded, “We have surface water rights and a commercial well here in El Rito approved by the Office of the State Engineer and have been growing here since 1993. Our water usage is quite low compared to the larger farms in our area. We use efficient drip irrigation systems to conserve water at all costs.”

Due to statewide laws and regulations, only two customers will be allowed in the premises at a time and the shop will be heavily guarded with 24/7 monitored security, motion sensors, and glass sensors.