marijuana
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Marijuana cultivator files class-action lawsuit over state ‘distortions’ in excise tax collections
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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…
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Colorado bill allowing THC beverages to be sold at grocery stores, restaurants pulled by sponsor
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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…
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Federal shift on medical cannabis draws praise and concern in Colorado
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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…
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Cannabis overhaul introduced in Colorado Senate
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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…
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Colorado marijuana regulators pledge crackdown on intoxicating hemp
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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…
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Democrats eye new taxes on alcohol, marijuana to fund Colorado mental health spending
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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…
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Lawmakers propose raising excise taxes on alcohol, marijuana to fund mental health spending
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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…
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One Chance to Grow Up director reflects on marijuana legalization 14 years later
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Fourteen years after Colorado became one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, the executive director of an organization focused on educating parents about the drug’s effects on developing brains is reflecting on how much has changed in nearly a decade. Henny Lasley, cofounder of One Chance to Grow Up, said among the biggest…
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Colorado marijuana regulators consider major changes to how labs test for contaminants
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This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with The Denver Gazette. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. Colorado marijuana manufacturers would no longer be allowed to choose which product samples they send for mandatory lab testing under a new regulatory proposal discussed at a…
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Divided Colorado Supreme Court curtails use of laced-substances defense
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The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday walked back the ability of criminal defendants to claim their conduct was the result of consuming an intoxicating substance that secretly contained another behavior-altering substance. Under state law, “involuntary intoxication” is an affirmative defense, meaning the prosecution has to disprove some component of that defense for the jury to…