Albuquerque Touts 26% Savings Gain in Cannabis Tax-Funded Income Pilot as Critics Push Legal Challenges
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 4
Albuquerque Touts 26% Savings Gain in Cannabis Tax-Funded Income Pilot as Critics Push Legal Challenges
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 4
Summary
Albuquerque officials said their guaranteed basic income pilot lifted participants’ household savings by an average 26% and moved 18 people into higher credit-score tiers.
The city funded the program entirely with recreational cannabis tax revenue, giving 42 young people — many single mothers, homeless, food-insecure or formerly incarcerated — unrestricted monthly cash support.
Mayor Tim Keller said the no-strings model worked because it cut bureaucratic barriers; one participant receiving $750 a month said it covered children’s healthcare, dental care and sports fees.
City leaders now want recurring municipal funding to make the program permanent, even as most participants reportedly earned under $40,000 and the pilot had no baseline income requirement.
That expansion push faces a tougher national climate: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has challenged similar taxpayer-funded programs under state gift-clause rules, and other red states are advancing bans.