RegTalk: Colorado's 7 New Cannabis Laws Will Propel Industry Forward

The Governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, signed seven (7) new cannabis laws into effect. The laws will propel Colorado’s cannabis industry forward by opening doors to public capital, allowing on-site consumption and delivery licenses, and making strides in the development of a robust hemp industry.

Below are brief summaries of the 7 new cannabis laws.

Publicly Licensed Marijuana Companies - The new law repeals the ban on investors in marijuana businesses that are publicly traded companies, and repeals the 15 person limit on the number of out-of-state investors. Under the law, controlling beneficial owners must make certain disclosures, and these controlling beneficial owners may be prohibited from becoming a licensee if unsuitable. A controlling beneficial owner is a person that owns 10% of the stock in the marijuana business.

Marijuana Hospitality Establishments - The new law allows retail establishments and mobile hospitality establishments to permit on-site consumption of marijuana products. Retail storefronts may obtain a license from the local jurisdiction where it is located. Colorado’s regulators are charged with adopting new regulations to oversee this new license type.

Regulated Marijuana Delivery - The new law allows medical and adult use retail stores and transporters to apply for a delivery license. The law requires the state to begin permitting medical marijuana delivery licenses by January 2, 2020 and permitting retail marijuana licenses by January 2, 2021. Businesses holding multiple licenses must apply for a separate delivery license for each license held. A $1 dollar charge would be added to each delivery to cover the cost of increased law enforcement needs. The law prohibits the delivery of medical or adult use marijuana in any municipality or jurisdiction that prohibit certain marijuana establishments including retail stores.

Electronic Filing Of Certain Taxes - Requires the electronic filing of state taxes when an electronic filing system is created or for taxes due on or after January 1, 2020, whichever is later. The new electronic filing law will reduce the inefficiencies of manual processing.

Hemp Regulation Alignment With 2018 Federal Farm Bill - The new law aligns Colorado’s Industrial Hemp Regulatory Program with the requirements of the 2018 Farm Bill. Under the law, the Commissioner of Agriculture must establish a hemp management plan and adopt regulations to implement. The new hemp regulations can be structured to address concerns raised by the US FDA at its May 31 hearing on CBD products.

Industrial Hemp Products Regulation - Requires manufacturers of hemp products to register with the state and pay a $300 fee. The new law also authorizes the Commission of Agriculture to establish a working group that will study the regulation of hemp products. Finally, local jurisdictions are authorized to adopt regulations that establish licensing requirements and fees for businesses engaged in extraction, storage, processing or manufacturing of hemp products.

Institute Of Cannabis Research Role And Mission - The law creates the Institute of Cannabis Research that is to be located at the Colorado State University. The role of the institute is to perform research on the effects of marijuana and the efficacy of medical marijuana.

Susan Ameel is a co-founder and partner at Global Regulatory Risk Advisors, which offers a cannabis service, THC Regs.

The preceding article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited.