Ten years after recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado, the new
year is bringing new rules for the retail marijuana industry that aim to
provide a boost to operational efficiencies and could change how you buy and
consume cannabis.
Set to go into effect Monday, the new rules are enforced by the Colorado
Marijuana Enforcement Division, and are a product of input gathered from a
series of stakeholder work group meetings held last year and roughly 300
written content submissions.
For consumers and marijuana retail locations alike, perhaps the biggest
change in business for 2024 will be seen with retail marijuana stores being
allowed to accept payment for products ordered online.
Online ordering became legal in Colorado late last year, but customers were still required to pay for their orders in-person. The added online option means customers will need to provide their name and date of birth to make their purchase over the internet. Upon pick-up, the store must then verify that the customer’s identification matches the information provided for the customer’s order. The state’s marijuana enforcement division provides updates to marijuana rules annually, and said it plans to host additional stakeholder meetings this year “with a focus on regulatory efficiencies and operational streamlining measures,” according to a statement.
The changes for 2024 come with a significant decline in the state’s retail marijuana tax revenue collections over the past six years. According to the Colorado Department Revenue, the tax revenue collected by the state last year from the retail marijuana industry was its lowest since it took in $247.3 million in 2017. In 2023, the state took in just over $255 million — down from over $325 million in 2022 and $423.4 million in 2021. The new rules will see the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division authorized to embargo regulated marijuana when the health, safety or welfare of the public requires emergency action. The division will also be allowed to destroy embargoed marijuana after notice and an opportunity for a hearing. Another major change in the rules enacted this year comes with all marijuana retail packaging including a “use-by date.” The date is not meant to convey the expiration of a product; it is the date that the product is supposed to reach the end of its optimal quality and freshness. The 2024 rules also deal with the regulation of licensed marijuana businesses as a way to improve the industry’s regulatory and operational efficiencies. For example, the state will now recognize the right for cultivation facilities to make transactions with a wider range of entities licensed within the state’s marijuana industry, and with entities located in states where the recreational marijuana industry is legalized. And while state regulations currently require every cannabis harvest and production batch for retail to be tested, a new rule will allow licensees to apply for reduced testing privileges by paying a fee and submitting an attestation form reflecting their understanding of the testing rules and requirements. In 2024, the state will allow marijuana hospitality locations to sell a customer no more than an ounce of marijuana flower, eight grams of retail marijuana concentrate, and 100 milligrams of marijuana products that are designed to be consumed orally. The rule won’t impact businesses in Steamboat Springs, where there is a ban on what the city code calls “cannabis clubs; but in the city of Denver, which is the only Colorado municipality where marijuana hospitality businesses are licensed, customers will now be able to purchase, and consume, larger quantities of product.”
Online ordering became legal in Colorado late last year, but customers were still required to pay for their orders in-person. The added online option means customers will need to provide their name and date of birth to make their purchase over the internet. Upon pick-up, the store must then verify that the customer’s identification matches the information provided for the customer’s order. The state’s marijuana enforcement division provides updates to marijuana rules annually, and said it plans to host additional stakeholder meetings this year “with a focus on regulatory efficiencies and operational streamlining measures,” according to a statement.
The changes for 2024 come with a significant decline in the state’s retail marijuana tax revenue collections over the past six years. According to the Colorado Department Revenue, the tax revenue collected by the state last year from the retail marijuana industry was its lowest since it took in $247.3 million in 2017. In 2023, the state took in just over $255 million — down from over $325 million in 2022 and $423.4 million in 2021. The new rules will see the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division authorized to embargo regulated marijuana when the health, safety or welfare of the public requires emergency action. The division will also be allowed to destroy embargoed marijuana after notice and an opportunity for a hearing. Another major change in the rules enacted this year comes with all marijuana retail packaging including a “use-by date.” The date is not meant to convey the expiration of a product; it is the date that the product is supposed to reach the end of its optimal quality and freshness. The 2024 rules also deal with the regulation of licensed marijuana businesses as a way to improve the industry’s regulatory and operational efficiencies. For example, the state will now recognize the right for cultivation facilities to make transactions with a wider range of entities licensed within the state’s marijuana industry, and with entities located in states where the recreational marijuana industry is legalized. And while state regulations currently require every cannabis harvest and production batch for retail to be tested, a new rule will allow licensees to apply for reduced testing privileges by paying a fee and submitting an attestation form reflecting their understanding of the testing rules and requirements. In 2024, the state will allow marijuana hospitality locations to sell a customer no more than an ounce of marijuana flower, eight grams of retail marijuana concentrate, and 100 milligrams of marijuana products that are designed to be consumed orally. The rule won’t impact businesses in Steamboat Springs, where there is a ban on what the city code calls “cannabis clubs; but in the city of Denver, which is the only Colorado municipality where marijuana hospitality businesses are licensed, customers will now be able to purchase, and consume, larger quantities of product.”
Trevor Ballantyne is the city government and housing reporter. To reach him, call 970-871-4254 or email him at tballantyne@SteamboatPilot.com.