Across the country, only 18 states have officially legalized recreational cannabis use and in New Mexico, one little city is taking the lead!

Sunland Park, New Mexico, which has a population of about 17,000, saw a huge boom in sales, the second best in the entire state of New Mexico last year, right behind Albuquerque!

According to KVIA, Sunland Park dispensaries sold $32 million in cannabis products that range from flowers to gummies to pre-rolls and more. In November alone, Sunland had $4 million in sales! This is compared to the sales in Las Cruces, which totals $22.6 million in Las Cruces, and $5.2 million in Anthony.

The boom itself is astounding, considering how small Sunland Park is -- many are even referring to Sunland Park as "Little Amsterdam". However, many say the boom is attributed to Sunland Park's neighbor; El Paso, Texas!

Recreational marijuana use is illegal in the state of Texas, but considering Sunland Park is just a hop, skip, and a jump from El Paso, many from the Sun City venture into Sunland Park, which has 16 active dispensaries, and what is referred to as "the green mile", to make their cannabis purchases!

Am I surprised that Sunland Park is now referred to as "Little Amsterdam"? Nope! Good for them; it's doing wonders for the economy in Sunland Park! But also, it's important to remember that the recreational use of marijuana is illegal in Texas; it is definitely illegal to bring marijuana across state lines -- so make sure not to do that!

EDIT: This was originally published Feb 5, 2024.