Colorado enacts new laws and regulations for marijuana industry
A slew of new cannabis laws and regulations went into effect Monday in Colorado, addressing issues such as online retail sales, intoxicating hemp products, lab testing and hospitality.
Among the new laws and rules highlighted by the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) in an announcement last week:
- HB 23-1279: Lifts restrictions of online cannabis product orders and payments at retail stores.
- SB 23-271: Authorizes regulators to develop rules and potential restrictions regarding chemical modifications, conversions or synthetic derivatives of cannabinoids. The law also allows cultivators to source marijuana seeds, immature plants and genetics from providers within and outside of Colorado’s regulated market.
- HB 23-1021: Authorizes the MED to embargo and destroy regulated marijuana products when the health, safety or welfare of the public “imperatively requires emergency action.”
- SB 23-199: Allows operators to renew state license applications without local approval if documentation proves licensees sought local approval and have a valid reason why it was not obtained.
- A new allowance for operators to pay a Reduced Testing Allowance Certification Fee if they submit a form noting their understanding of testing rules and requirements, plus payment of the fee.
Several new rules also were enacted regarding the state’s hospitality sector and cannabis-consumption providers, including:
- Increasing sales allowances for retail marijuana hospitality businesses up to 1 ounce of flower, 8 grams of concentrate and 100 milligrams of THC.
- Mandating that hospitality businesses provide consumers with information about safe transportation as well as establishing standard operating procedures to prevent overconsumption and transactions to those displaying visible signs of intoxication.
- Eliminating certain surveillance requirements in areas where spa services are provided.
