Not a single gram of herb has been illegally sold over the counter of a retail or medical marijuana center in Colorado to minors, according to a report released today by the state Marijuana Enforcement Division. The stats undermine claims from anti-cannabis groups that dispensaries are responsible for minors obtaining cannabis.
Meanwhile, the number of alcohol violations at this point in the year is likely in the hundreds. In 2013, for example, it took a 25-page state report to list all of the bars and liquor stores that blatantly sold to minors or didn’t even check an ID. Stats aren’t out for 2014 liquor violations yet, but they aren’t going to be much different.
According to the MED, 16 dispensaries in the Denver area were set up in a sting operation with the Denver Police and every single one of them turned the minor away. And they’ll likely keep turning them away or they’ll face a suspended or revoked license and up to $100,000 in fines.
Meanwhile, the hundreds of liquor-selling establishments across the state that have violated underage liquor laws are still up and running. Most face a 15-day suspension and occasionally as much as $3,000 in fines in lieu of that suspension.
The sting is part of a larger effort, that so far has tested 20 dispensaries around the state – all with 100 percent compliance.
It is imperative that we keep marijuana out of the hands of kids. These results show that strong efforts are being made by the MED and the marijuana business licensees to do just that,” Colorado Department of Revenue director Barbara Brohl said in a release.
That’s not to say minors aren’t getting their hands on weed and edibles from dispensaries. They are, and we would be doing a disservice to deny that much. Though it is clear now that those few cases are from individuals who are taking advantage of the system and selling their legally-purchased herb to minors and not the dispensaries themselves.
