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Browsing: Legislation

Stricter Rules Loom Over THC Vape Products in Colorado

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By on Cannabusiness, Follow that story, Legislation, Medical
mason_jar_spring_collins20180426_056 (1)Jacqueline Collins

The recent outbreak of lung illnesses connected to THC vaporization products is pushing the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division to implement new regulations that could include the prohibition of certain vaping additives in the regulated marketplace.

New rules banning the production and sale of cannabis vape products containing polyethylene glycol (PEG), vitamin E acetate and medium chain triglycerides (MCT oil) were proposed by the MED on October 7, according to the agency, with the proposed rules up for public discussion on Tuesday, October 15.

Fresh Off a House Victory, Perlmutter Bullish on Pot Banking Bill

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By on Cannabusiness, Feds 'N Heads, Legalize It, Legislation
ed-perlmutter-house-gove-2019live.house.gov

Days before Congressman Ed Perlmutter was scheduled to speak at a cannabis management conference in Denver this week, he had a defining moment in Washington, D.C. His bill that would allow banking institutions to serve legal cannabis companies became not only the first pot-related proposal to be considered by the full House of Representatives in over fifty years, it actually passed.

“Had we not passed that bill last week, I did not want to talk to you people at all,” Perlmutter jokingly told a room full of cannabis regulators and business owners during the City of Denver’s Marijuana Management Symposium on Thursday, October 3. “The banking piece really is the thing that is the icebreaker in all of this.”

Is Colorado Ready to Accept Marijuana Tourism?

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By on Cannabusiness, Follow that story, Legislation
bongathon_collins2019Jacqueline Collins

Colorado’s tourism industry has had a complicated relationship with cannabis since the state legalized the plant in late 2012. National hospitality businesses remain scared to touch a federally prohibited substance, while a state law banning public pot consumption has kept the majority of out-of-state dispensary shoppers without somewhere to legally light up.

But that tide may finally be turning.

A bill legalizing social pot consumption permits for qualified businesses passed the Colorado Legislature in the 2019 session, opening up new opportunities for cannabis users and entrepreneurs alike; the law will take effect at the beginning of 2020. Meanwhile, Governor Jared Polis appointed Wanda James, a cannabis advocate and dispensary owner, to the state tourism board in August.

House Passes Landmark Marijuana Banking Bill

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By on Cannabusiness, Dispensaries, Feds 'N Heads, Legislation
incredibles_collins20180814_035_1_Jacqueline Collins

The United States House of Representatives just approved a bill that would allow banks and financial institutions to serve marijuana businesses in states where it is legal without risking federal prosecution, marking a landmark step towards marijuana reform.

Introduced by Colorado Representative Ed Perlmutter, the SAFE Banking Act needed approval from two-thirds of the House’s 435 members, or 290 yes votes. It got 321, becoming the first marijuana-centered bill to reach a Congressional floor for a vote — as well as the first to pass.

Colorado Reviews New Social Equity Marijuana Business Licenses

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By on Cannabusiness, Legislation
incredibles_collins20180814_041Jacqueline Collins

New marijuana business licenses reserved for low-income demographics are set to launch in Colorado in 2020, but questions remain about who should receive these licenses and how they should be regulated.

Created by Senate Bill 224, a 2019 law that overhauls the state’s medical and recreational marijuana regulations, the new licenses are intended to add more diversity to Colorado’s cannabis space while providing opportunity to entrepreneurs who don’t have traditional training or funding outlets. Also known as micro licenses, the new permits would require the new businesses to use the facilities of established pot companies as they research and create their own cannabis products.

Senate Committee Hears Testimony on Pot Banking Push

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By on Cannabusiness, Feds 'N Heads, Follow that story, Legislation
den_canna_20150717_colorado-harvest-register_slentz_05 (1)Scott Lentz

The push for federal cannabis banking legalization took another baby step on July 23 when the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs heard a bill that would allow financial institutions to serve companies connected with cannabis, which is still federally illegal.

Introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the SAFE Banking Act would protect banks and other financial outfits from federal charges if they provide accounts, loans and other services to pot businesses as well as ancillary enterprises that work with cannabis-focused enterprises, such as real estate agencies, accountants and other business vendors.

Marijuana Businesses to Congress: We Need More Diversity

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By on Cannabusiness, Feds 'N Heads, Legislation
mcba_opportunity_summit_collins20180325_010Jacqueline Collins

Over 100 cannabis businesses and organizations just sent a letter to Congressional leaders calling for federal legalization of the plant, but their request didn’t stop there. The letter also urged federal funding be used to diversify the cannabis industry, as well as administer retroactive justice for old pot convictions and help communities impacted the most by the war on drugs.

Cannabis is still far from legal in the eyes of the federal government, but Congress has been more open-minded lately. The House of Representatives has advanced legislation that would explicitly allow banks and financial institutions to serve medical and recreational cannabis businesses in states where they are legal, and the Senate just held a hearing on the same bill.

Colorado Health Officials Preparing for More Medical Marijuana Access

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By on Legislation, Medical
native-roots-edgewater-lentzScott Lentz

On July 15, 2015, the Colorado Board of Health rejected a petition to add post-traumatic stress disorder as a medical marijuana condition, to the vocal dismay of a packed room of veterans and medical marijuana patients. Fast forward four years, and not only is PTSD now an approved medical condition, but the board is preparing to usher in one of the most expansive sets of MMJ rules that Colorado has seen in over a decade.

Colorado Marijuana Industry Prepares for Deeper Pockets

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By on Cannabusiness, Follow that story, Legislation
natures_gift_shop_collins20170812_016 (1)Jacqueline Collins

Colorado’s billion-dollar marijuana industry is about to welcome some deeper pockets into the game, but first it needs to create rules to play by.

With just over five months to go until a new law expands marijuana business investment opportunities to publicly traded companies, venture capitalists and private equity firms, the Marijuana Enforcement Division has called upon dozens of marijuana industry regulators, attorneys, business owners and other stakeholders to help figure out how these new investors and owners will be able to operate in this state.

House Votes to Protect All Legal Marijuana States

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By on Feds 'N Heads, Follow that story, Legalize It, Legislation
lighting-blunt-420-fest-collinsJacqueline Collins

The United States House of Representatives has pushed for more marijuana reform in 2019 than in any prior year, and just approved a bipartisan measure that protects all state pot programs from federal interference.

On June 20, House members voted in favor of prohibiting the Department of Justice from using funds to prevent any American state, territory and Washington, D.C., from approving and implementing laws authorizing marijuana use, distribution, possession and cultivation; they did so through an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

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