The New Mexico Department of Health would issue licenses to individuals and organizations to legally provide medical marijuana under draft rules unveiled last week, the Associated Press reported Dec. 4.

The license would allow patients, caregivers, state-run programs or private entities to legally manufacture and distribute marijuana for medical use. The draft rules will be open for public comment starting in late December, and a public hearing will be held in January.

New Mexico passed a medical-marijuana law that took effect on July 1, and 74 patients have been certified to use the drug for medical purposes. However, they have been left to their own devices to obtain marijuana -- a situation the state government hopes to remedy with the new rules.

Under the proposed rules, licensees would have to undergo criminal background checks and adhere to facility security rules laid down by the state.

The law actually calls for the state to oversee the production and distribution of medical marijuana, but state officials said they would not implement such a system because of fears that it could lead to federal prosecution of state employees.