N.M. Stat. § 29-3A-9
Dismissal of sentences; incarcerated persons.
A. Within thirty days following the effective date of this section, a correctional facility,
a county jail or a juvenile correctional facility in which a person is currently incarcerated
for an offense that is no longer a crime pursuant to the provisions of the Cannabis
Regulation Act [Chapter 26, Article 2C NMSA 1978], or that would have resulted in a
lesser offense if that act had been in effect at the time of the offense, shall notify the
court that the convicted person's case may be:
(1)
reopened to consider possible dismissal of the person's sentence; or
(2)
expunged pursuant to the provisions of the Criminal Record Expungement
Act.
B. A court shall reopen a case pursuant to Subsection A of this section and dismiss
the person's sentence if it is legally invalid.
C. A person who has completed the person's sentence for a conviction, whether by
trial or negotiated plea, who would not have been guilty of an offense or who would
have been guilty of a lesser offense if the Cannabis Regulation Act had been in effect at
the time of the offense is entitled to have the conviction dismissed and expunged
because the prior conviction is now legally invalid or redesignated as a penalty
assessment citation.
D. On or before January 1, 2022, the department of public safety shall review the
public records in the state criminal history databases and shall identify all past
convictions that are potentially eligible for dismissal and expungement or redesignation
pursuant to the Cannabis Regulation Act. The department of public safety shall notify
the corrections department, prosecutors and defense counsel of record in the case
resulting in the conviction of all cases that are eligible for dismissal and expungement or
redesignation.
E. The prosecutor of the case shall have until July 1, 2022 to review all cases and
determine whether to challenge the dismissal and expungement or redesignation.
F. The prosecutor of the case may challenge the resentencing of a person pursuant
to this section when the person does not meet the criteria established under the
Cannabis Regulation Act.
G. On or before July 1, 2022, the prosecutor of the case shall inform the court and
defense counsel of record in the case resulting in the conviction when the prosecutor of
the case is challenging a particular dismissal and expungement or redesignation. The
prosecutor of the case shall also inform the court when the prosecutor of the case is not
challenging a particular dismissal and expungement or redesignation.
H. If the prosecutor of the case does not challenge the dismissal and expungement
or redesignation by July 1, 2022, the court shall notify the department of public safety
that the case has been dismissed. Upon notice, the department of public safety shall
expunge the public record pertaining to the offense; provided that if the arrest included
multiple charges, only the portions of the public records related to the cannabis charge
shall be expunged.
I. A person who is currently incarcerated or who was incarcerated in the past for a
cannabis offense that is no longer a crime may at any time petition to modify the
person's criminal sentence or to have the person's conviction vacated. If the petition is
granted, the court shall issue an order within thirty days of the granting of the petition
requiring that the portions of the public records related to the cannabis offense, as well
as all records of proceedings related to the petition for expungement, be expunged.
J. Nothing in this section is intended to diminish or abrogate any rights or remedies
otherwise available to a person who was convicted of or incarcerated for a cannabis
offense.
K. The provisions of this section shall apply equally to juvenile delinquency
adjudications and convictions of a juvenile if the juvenile would not have been guilty of
an offense or would have been guilty of a lesser offense as provided in the Cannabis
Regulation Act.
L. No fee or cost of any kind shall be imposed upon a person whose sentence is
reviewed pursuant to this section.