Denver, CO: Democrat Gov. John Hickenlooper has signed legislation into law regulating the commercial production and retail selling of marijuana to those age 21 or older. Colorado is the first state to approve regulations authorizing a legal cannabis market for adult consumers.
State-licensed cannabis retailers are expected to be approved under the new law by early 2014. Marijuana retailers must be Colorado residents. Cannabis sales will be permitted to anyone over age 21, including non-residents.
A majority of Colorado voters will decide on proposed tax rates for commercial cannabis production and retail sales this fall.
Last November, a majority of Colorado voters approved Amendment 64, which legalized the adult possession and cultivation of limited quantities of marijuana, and tasked the state with establishing regulations for the plant’s retail production and sale of cannabis to the public.
For more information, please contact Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director, at (202) 483-5500, or Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org.