YOU’RE WATCHING KOAT ACTION SEVEN NEWS. WHILE RECREATIONAL CANNABIS HAS BEEN LEGAL IN NEW MEXICO FOR SEVERAL YEARS, IT IS STILL ILLEGAL IN TEXAS. TONIGHT’S TARGET 7 INVESTIGATION REVEALS A UNIQUE PROBLEM FOR DISPENSARY JUST FEET AWAY FROM THE TEXAS STATE LINE. JASON MCNABB PURE LIFE DISPENSARY HAS NEARLY 20 LOCATIONS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT NEW MEXICO. ONE OF THEIR NEWEST IS THIS SPOT IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF OUR STATE IN SUNLAND PARK. DATA FROM THE NEW MEXICO LICENSING DEPARTMENT SHOWS THE CITY BRINGS IN THE SECOND HIGHEST CANNABIS SALES IN THE ENTIRE STATE, ONLY BEHIND ALBUQUERQUE, TOTALING MORE THAN $130 MILLION IN REVENUE LAST YEAR. PART OF THE REASON THE CITY’S PROXIMITY TO THE MUCH LARGER EL PASO, TEXAS, WHERE POSSESSION, SALE AND USE OF RECREATIONAL CANNABIS IS ILLEGAL, SUNLAND PARK IS SO CLOSE THAT JUST ACROSS THE PARKING LOT FROM THE NEW PURE LIFE LOCATION IS EL PASO, TEXAS. BUT THERE’S JUST ONE PROBLEM. THE NEW MEXICO STATE LINE TAKES A UNIQUE SHAPE HERE, RUNNING JUST SOUTH OF COUNTRY CLUB ROAD BEFORE TURNING NORTH ABOUT A HALF MILE WEST. PURE LIFE IS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF COUNTRY CLUB ROAD. THE BUILDING AND MOST OF THE PARKING LOT IS LOCATED WITHIN THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO. BUT AFTER MAKING A PURCHASE AND LEAVING THE PARKING LOT, CUSTOMERS WOULD NEED TO DRIVE A HALF MILE WEST THROUGH TEXAS TO BE BACK IN NEW MEXICO. IT IS A. IT’S A VERY UNUSUAL SITUATION, BUT IT DOES RAISE QUESTIONS. KOAT LEGAL EXPERT JOHN DAY SAYS IT’S POSSIBLE THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT IN TEXAS COULD SCOUT SOMEONE LEAVING THE DISPENSARY, PULL THEM OVER IN TEXAS BEFORE THEY REACH NEW MEXICO AGAIN, JUST DOWN THE ROAD, AND ARREST THEM FOR DRUG POSSESSION. IT’S A HUGE GAMBLE. IT’S A UNIQUE SITUATION, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT IS WITHIN THE LAWS OF TEXAS WANTS TO PASS AND ENFORCE THOSE LAWS. THEY CAN DO IT. AND ANYONE WHO WANTS TO PURCHASE SOMETHING FROM A DISPENSARY THAT MAKES YOU KNOW, THAT REQUIRES YOU TO DRIVE THROUGH A STATE WHERE THAT PRODUCT IS ILLEGAL, YOU CAN DO IT AS LONG AS YOU UNDERSTAND THE RISKS YOU’RE RUNNING AND THE GAMBLE YOU’RE TAKING. I THINK IT’S DANGEROUS FOR CONSUMERS. IT’S DANGEROUS TO PATIENCE. BEN LEWIN IS A CANNABIS POLICY EXPERT. BEING THE FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW MEXICO CANNABIS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE RESULTS OF HAVING A PATCHWORK OF STATEWIDE CANNABIS LAWS, BUT NO REAL ADDRESSING OF WHERE CANNABIS IS NOW AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. DESPITE THESE CONCERNS, NEW MEXICO’S CANNABIS CONTROL DIVISION SAYS THE STORE OPERATING WHERE IT IS IS PERFECTLY LEGAL. A SPOKESPERSON SENT TARGET 7 THIS STATEMENT, SAYING, QUOTE, THE CANNABIS REGULATION ACT DOES NOT IMPOSE GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITS ON WHERE LICENSED BUSINESSES ARE ALLOWED TO OPERATE, SO LONG AS THE BUSINESS IS LOCATED WITHIN NEW MEXICO AND IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL APPLICABLE ZONING, SAFETY AND OPERATIONAL STANDARDS IMPOSED BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT. IN THIS CASE SUNLAND PARK. IT ADDS A LICENSED CANNABIS BUSINESS OPERATING ENTIRELY WITHIN THE GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES OF NEW MEXICO REMAINS UNDER NEW MEXICO’S JURISDICTION, REGARDLESS OF ITS PROXIMITY TO A NEIGHBORING STATE WHOSE BUSINESS IT IS THAT’S OPERATING. THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH WHATEVER COMES OF THIS, SAYS GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES LIKE THE CANNABIS CONTROL DIVISION ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR VETTING LOCATIONS OR TELLING DISPENSARIES HOW TO RUN BUSINESS. BUT HE DOES THINK THE OWNERS OF PURE LIFE SHOULD HAVE SEEN THIS AS A CONCERN. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, ESPECIALLY WITH CANNABIS, BUT REALLY WITH ANY BUSINESS IN NEW MEXICO, IT’S UP TO THE BUSINESS OWNERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR BUSINESS IS VIABLE. FOR TARGET 7, I’M JASON MCNABB. PURE LIFE REFUSED T
Sunland Park cannabis dispensary faces legal challenges near Texas state line
A dispensary in Sunland Park, New Mexico, located near the Texas state line, poses legal risks for customers due to differing state cannabis laws.
Updated: 6:27 AM MDT Mar 18, 2026
Purlife Dispensary, with nearly 20 locations across New Mexico, has opened a new spot in Sunland Park, a city that ranks second in cannabis sales in the state, generating over $130 million in revenue last year, partly due to its proximity to El Paso, Texas, where recreational cannabis remains illegal. The dispensary is situated just across the parking lot from El Paso, Texas, creating a unique legal challenge for customers.The New Mexico state line near Sunland Park runs south of Country Club Road before turning north about half a mile west. Purlife is located on the south side of Country Club Road, within New Mexico. However, customers must drive half a mile west through Texas to return to New Mexico after making a purchase.”It’s a very unusual situation, but it does raise questions,” said KOAT legal expert John Day. He explained that Texas law enforcement could potentially stop someone leaving the dispensary, arresting them for drug possession before they reach New Mexico again.”It’s a huge gamble,” Day said. “It’s a unique situation, but at the same time, it is within the laws of if Texas wants to pass and enforce those laws, they can do it. And anyone who wants to purchase something from a dispensary that requires you to drive through a state where that product is illegal, you can do as long as you understand the risks you’re running and the gamble you’re taking.””I think it’s dangerous for consumers, it’s dangerous to patients,” said Ben Lewinger, a cannabis policy expert and former executive director of the New Mexico Cannabis Chamber of Commerce. “I think this is one of the results of having a patchwork of statewide cannabis laws, but no real addressing of where cannabis is now at the federal level.”Despite these concerns, New Mexico’s Cannabis Control Division stated that the store’s location is legal. A spokesperson said, “The Cannabis Regulation Act does not impose geographical limits on where licensed businesses are allowed to operate so long as the business is located within New Mexico and is in compliance with all applicable zoning, safety, and operational standards imposed by the local government, in this case, Sunland Park.” The statement added that a licensed cannabis business operating entirely within New Mexico remains under the state’s jurisdiction, regardless of its proximity to a neighboring state.”Whoever business it is that’s operating, they’re gonna have to deal with whatever comes of this,” Lewinger said. He emphasized that governmental agencies like the Cannabis Control Division are not responsible for vetting locations or advising dispensaries on business operations. He believes the owners of Purlife should have anticipated this concern, stating, “At the end of the day, especially with cannabis, but really with any business in New Mexico, it’s up to the business owners to make sure that their business is viable.”Purlife refused to comment to Target 7, forwarding inquiries to their attorneys, and a response is still awaited.
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. —
Purlife Dispensary, with nearly 20 locations across New Mexico, has opened a new spot in Sunland Park, a city that ranks second in cannabis sales in the state, generating over $130 million in revenue last year, partly due to its proximity to El Paso, Texas, where recreational cannabis remains illegal. The dispensary is situated just across the parking lot from El Paso, Texas, creating a unique legal challenge for customers.
The New Mexico state line near Sunland Park runs south of Country Club Road before turning north about half a mile west. Purlife is located on the south side of Country Club Road, within New Mexico. However, customers must drive half a mile west through Texas to return to New Mexico after making a purchase.
“It’s a very unusual situation, but it does raise questions,” said KOAT legal expert John Day. He explained that Texas law enforcement could potentially stop someone leaving the dispensary, arresting them for drug possession before they reach New Mexico again.
“It’s a huge gamble,” Day said. “It’s a unique situation, but at the same time, it is within the laws of if Texas wants to pass and enforce those laws, they can do it. And anyone who wants to purchase something from a dispensary that requires you to drive through a state where that product is illegal, you can do as long as you understand the risks you’re running and the gamble you’re taking.”
“I think it’s dangerous for consumers, it’s dangerous to patients,” said Ben Lewinger, a cannabis policy expert and former executive director of the New Mexico Cannabis Chamber of Commerce. “I think this is one of the results of having a patchwork of statewide cannabis laws, but no real addressing of where cannabis is now at the federal level.”
Despite these concerns, New Mexico’s Cannabis Control Division stated that the store’s location is legal. A spokesperson said, “The Cannabis Regulation Act does not impose geographical limits on where licensed businesses are allowed to operate so long as the business is located within New Mexico and is in compliance with all applicable zoning, safety, and operational standards imposed by the local government, in this case, Sunland Park.” The statement added that a licensed cannabis business operating entirely within New Mexico remains under the state’s jurisdiction, regardless of its proximity to a neighboring state.
“Whoever business it is that’s operating, they’re gonna have to deal with whatever comes of this,” Lewinger said. He emphasized that governmental agencies like the Cannabis Control Division are not responsible for vetting locations or advising dispensaries on business operations. He believes the owners of Purlife should have anticipated this concern, stating, “At the end of the day, especially with cannabis, but really with any business in New Mexico, it’s up to the business owners to make sure that their business is viable.”
Purlife refused to comment to Target 7, forwarding inquiries to their attorneys, and a response is still awaited.