Rocky Mountain High: Marijuana Industry Push Back On More Rules

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COLORADO:  The powerful Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce “[has] not and will not” endorse the latest proposed changes to the state ‘s edible marijuna regulations that call for the placement of a “THC Stop Sign” on each pot-infused package and marijuana serving.

A Cannabis Chamber spokesman told Food Safety News the marijuana industry group cannot go along with the “stop sign logo as we believe it is sending a political message to stop THC.”

Almost two years ago, when Colorado became the first state to make recreational marijuana use legal, it led to the birth of a booming new industry that infuses food and beverages with marijuana. The state currently has 134 manufacturers licensed to make “infused” food and beverage products.

False Claim No Barrier To Marijuana Licenses

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MASSACHUSETTS:  After a string of embarrassing revelations about proposed medical marijuana dispensaries, state regulators vowed to expand the background checks and scrub every inch of firms’ applications during the verification phase of the approval process.

A security firm conducted more than a hundred additional background checks and investigative interviews. And the state weeded out nearly half the 20 finalists, including several for misrepresenting their meetings with local officials.

“If somebody lied on their application, they are not going to get a license,” Governor Deval Patrick said flatly in a WGBH radio interview in February.

The state’s screening company detected the missing degree in April, but the state let the company go forward with plans to open dispensaries in Northampton and Brookline anyway.

 

 

Green Gold Rush Creating Gray Marijuana Market

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COLORADO:  The gold rush of legalized marijuana in Colorado and Washington is creating a confusing market of goods and services, from illegal Craigslist pot deliveries to a marijuana vending machine and a food truck selling pot-infused sandwiches.

While recreational marijuana sales are legal in both states, the marketplaces are surrounded by a web of laws and regulations intended to keep buyers paying taxes and transactions aboveboard. But with tens of millions of dollars in profits up for grabs, entrepreneurs are flooding the market with products and services operating in a gray area. Some ventures are completely illegal but the vendors escape prosecution by trying to stay low key. Others grab headlines that are misleading at best.

Craiglist is filled with advertisements for marijuana-delivery services in the Denver area. The ads insist they’re offering a legal service: “Please do not flag! Amendment 20 and 64 compliant,” referring to the state’s medical and recreational marijuana laws. But Colorado law requires marijuana sales to occur inside licensed stores.

These services get around that requirement because the law also allows adults to give marijuana to other adults for free and without any “remuneration.” So the delivery services simply ask for a voluntary donation or a tip. Is it legal? Nope.