Officials have issued an order banning the use, possession or storage of marijuana in the Santa Fe National Forest, though such practices were already illegal.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Forest Supervisor Maria Garcia issued the closure order banning both medical and recreational marijuana from the 1.5 million acres of the northern New Mexico forest. Possession and use of marijuana are already illegal under federal law.
Forest spokeswoman Julie Anne Overton says the order serves both as a reminder that pot is illegal and a way for Forest Service personnel to issue misdemeanor citations to those caught with the drug instead of arresting them.
Though the order also covers growing operations, Overton says only two growing sites have been discovered on forest land since October 2014.
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