marijuana
-
Regulators knew this marijuana product was harming people. It stayed on shelves for more than a year
Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division can take months or even years to issue formal safety warnings about marijuana products even when it receives reports that the products are harming people’s health, The Denver Gazette and ProPublica found. This article was produced in partnership with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. In March 2022, Colorado public health officials started…
-
Colorado to implement new laws on jail standards, safe haven rules, and agricultural labeling
In mid-August every year, a slew of recently passed laws in Colorado go into effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session. This year, all bills without a specified effective date or safety clause — a provision stating the legislation must become effective immediately to protect the public peace, health, or safety of…
-
Safe2Tell tip, corroborated details provided grounds to search backpack, Colorado justices rule
The Colorado Supreme Court decided this month that a tip submitted through the state’s confidential school safety system, plus a Douglas County administrator’s corroboration of some details, provided reasonable suspicion to search a student’s backpack for drugs. Someone submitted a tip through Safe2Tell, Colorado’s school safety reporting system, alleging a Chaparral High School student was smoking…
-
Marijuana cultivator files class-action lawsuit over state ‘distortions’ in excise tax collections
Plaintiff says state owes over $100 million in refunds The regulators of Colorado’s first-in-the-nation recreational marijuana market have allowed so many sham transactions in the industry to proliferate that honest cultivators and manufacturers shoulder an unfair excise tax burden, claims a lawsuit filed on Thursday that seeks class-action status. The lawsuit, filed by a large-scale…
-
Colorado bill allowing THC beverages to be sold at grocery stores, restaurants pulled by sponsor
A Denver Democrat decided on Tuesday to pull a proposal that would have allowed beverages with tetrahydrocannabinol or THC to be sold at locations like grocery stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues. THC is the psychoactive substance in cannabis, the chemical that gives people a high. Senate Bill 164 would have established a regulatory framework for…
-
Federal shift on medical cannabis draws praise and concern in Colorado
Colorado’s response to the federal reclassification of medical cannabis ranged from industry leaders celebrating the development to youth advocacy groups warning that the change heightens the need for stronger protections for children. The U.S. Justice Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration today announced that medically-approved cannabis has been moved from Schedule I to Schedule III…
-
Cannabis overhaul introduced in Colorado Senate
Colorado lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a measure that, if approved, would place a ballot proposal before voters this fall that contains changes backers say would improve consumer safety and overhauls how the marijuana industry is taxed. The proposed ballot initiative would fund a testing program, in which regulators would randomly buy marijuana products from dispensaries and test them for…
-
Colorado marijuana regulators pledge crackdown on intoxicating hemp
Citing potential tax avoidance, ‘serious risk to public safety,’ Marijuana Enforcement Division warns companies about swapping illegal chemically converted hemp for marijuana This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with The Denver Gazette. Colorado regulators announced on Monday that they plan to crack down on companies that illegally substitute cheaper and…
-
Democrats eye new taxes on alcohol, marijuana to fund Colorado mental health spending
Facing hundreds of millions in budget shortfall, Colorado lawmakers are searching for ways to fund mental health services in a state that, advocates say, has consistently ranked among the worst in the nation for mental health outcomes. Several proposals this session aim to generate new revenue for treatment and hospital beds. The ideas — including…
-
Lawmakers propose raising excise taxes on alcohol, marijuana to fund mental health spending
Colorado lawmakers hope to refer a measure to the November ballot that would increase excise taxes on alcohol and marijuana, with the revenue going toward mental health and civil commitment facilities around the state. House Bill 1301, sponsored by Rep. Bob Marshall, D-Highlands Ranch, and Sen. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, would impose sales tax increases of…