Colorado Lawmakers Pass Bill To Streamline Marijuana Industry Regulatory Restrictions, Sending It To Governor
From toxifillers.com with love
Colorado lawmakers have sent a bill to the governor that would make a series of changes to the state’s marijuana laws, including revisions to help more people participate the industry and reduce certain regulatory restrictions on cannabis businesses.
However, the measure from Reps. William Lindstedt (D) and Jenny Willford (D) and as well as Sens. Julie Gonzales (D) and Robert Rodriguez was significantly amended during the legislative process, removing provisions from the measure as introduced that would have doubled the amount of marijuana adults could buy from licensed retailers and allowed cannabis shops to hold promotional events.
As amended, a conference report for the measure passed in a 43-22 vote in the House on Wednesday and 18-16 vote in the Senate on Tuesday.
This comes about four years after Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed into law a bill to increase the personal possession limit to two ounces. So if this latest bill would have been enacted, the sales component would have aligned with that possession limit.
Additionally, while current law stipulates that marijuana cultivators and manufacturers can only provide samples of their products to managers of cannabis retailers for research and development purposes, the bill now headed to the governor’s desk would make it so any worker employed by a retailer with an occupational license could receive samples on up to 20 days per month.
The measure would also revise reporting requirements for marijuana licensees, mandating that regulators adopt rules to ensure licensees maintain documents such as childproof packaging certifications, testing records, recall records, advertising records, standard operating procedures and more.
“If a license holder is required to maintain books and records in the seed-to-sale inventory tracking system, the license holder need not maintain duplicate copies of the books and records,” it says. “If a license holder is substantially noncompliant with regulatory requirements, the division may require the license holder to maintain additional records.”
The bill would also repeal current state law that makes it a class 2 misdemeanor for a person to have an undisclosed controlling beneficial ownership, passive beneficial ownership or indirect financial interest in a cannabis license or engage in transfer of ownership without prior approval.
“We commend lawmakers for taking action to remove unnecessary red tape and modernize regulations so that they better reflect the maturity and professionalism of the Colorado cannabis industry,” Chuck Smith, CEO of Colorado Leads, an association representing the Colorado cannabis industry, said in a press release.
“This legislation offers meaningful regulatory relief to licensed cannabis businesses across the state by eliminating outdated and duplicative requirements that no longer serve a clear public interest,” he said. “It also provides significant savings and efficiencies for state regulators so they can focus more time and resources on youth access prevention and product safety.”
“This forward-thinking, bipartisan legislation is a model for how cannabis policy can evolve thoughtfully, ensuring oversight remains strong while easing unnecessary burdens on government and the regulated marketplace. It is a critical step toward maintaining Colorado’s position as a global leader in cannabis policy and business.”
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Meanwhile in Colorado, the legislature recently approved a bill to empower the governor to grant pardons to people who’ve been convicted of psychedelics-related offenses and also revise implementation rules and data-tracking provisions for the state’s 2022 voter-approved psychedelics legalization law.
Also last month, the governor signed into law a bill that would allow a form of psilocybin to be prescribed as a medication if the federal government authorizes its use.
While Colorado already legalized psilocybin and several other psychedelics for adults 21 and older through the voter-approved ballot initiative, the newly enacted reform will make it so drugs containing an isolated crystalized version synthesized from psilocybin can become available under physician prescription.
As of January, meanwhile, Colorado regulars have been authorized to approve licenses for psilocybin service centers where adults can access the psychedelic in controlled settings.
The governor signed a bill to create the regulatory framework for legal psychedelics in 2023.
Separately in Colorado, a bill that would have limited THC in marijuana and outlawed a variety of psilocybin products will no longer move forward this session following the lead sponsor’s move to withdraw the bill.
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