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Colorado's herky-jerky journey regulating legal marijuana embarks on a new leg this week when bills codifying the rules for recreational pot are expected to be introduced.
The bills – at least three of them – are the work of a special committee of lawmakers, which itself built upon suggestions put forth by a task force. The full legislature has less than a month before the end of its session to sign off on the bills. If it does, Colorado's lawmakers would be the first in the nation to create laws governing marijuana use by adults and marijuana sales at special retail stores.
One bill is expected to contain a slew of noncontroversial proposals created by the task force and endorsed unanimously by the legislative committee – things such as educational campaigns around marijuana and rules that prohibit pot-infused alcohol. Another bill or bills would propose creating 15 percent excise and special sales taxes on recreational marijuana. Voters would ultimately have to approve the taxes.
The remaining bill or bills would deal with controversial rules that committee members could not reach consensus on, including the business structure for recreational pot shops. The committee ultimately decided to allow growers and sellers to operate separately, but many believe the industry should be "vertically integrated" with stores having to grow what they sell.
Though the legislature will be working on a tight timeline to pass the bills, House Speaker Mark Ferrandino said he is optimistic that lawmakers can get the job done.
"We have to limit debate to what the task force looked at and what the committee looked at and not try to invent the wheel," Ferrandino, D-Denver, said last week. "There has been a lot of work done on what is the right policy to move forward."
The legislature isn't the last stop in the regulatory process, though. Here's the timeline ahead:
- May 8: Last day of the legislative session.
- July 1: Deadline for the Department of Revenue to adopt additional regulations.
- Oct. 1: Deadline for the Revenue Department to begin accepting applications for recreational marijuana stores. If the department has not yet adopted regulations for pot shops, local governments can begin issuing licenses to the stores.
- Jan. 1, 2014: Deadline for the Revenue Department to start issuing licenses to pot shops. Recreational marijuana sales begin in Colorado.
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: denverpost.com
Author: John Ingold
Contact: Contact Us - The Denver Post
Website: Marijuana bills on legislative agenda - The Denver Post
The bills – at least three of them – are the work of a special committee of lawmakers, which itself built upon suggestions put forth by a task force. The full legislature has less than a month before the end of its session to sign off on the bills. If it does, Colorado's lawmakers would be the first in the nation to create laws governing marijuana use by adults and marijuana sales at special retail stores.
One bill is expected to contain a slew of noncontroversial proposals created by the task force and endorsed unanimously by the legislative committee – things such as educational campaigns around marijuana and rules that prohibit pot-infused alcohol. Another bill or bills would propose creating 15 percent excise and special sales taxes on recreational marijuana. Voters would ultimately have to approve the taxes.
The remaining bill or bills would deal with controversial rules that committee members could not reach consensus on, including the business structure for recreational pot shops. The committee ultimately decided to allow growers and sellers to operate separately, but many believe the industry should be "vertically integrated" with stores having to grow what they sell.
Though the legislature will be working on a tight timeline to pass the bills, House Speaker Mark Ferrandino said he is optimistic that lawmakers can get the job done.
"We have to limit debate to what the task force looked at and what the committee looked at and not try to invent the wheel," Ferrandino, D-Denver, said last week. "There has been a lot of work done on what is the right policy to move forward."
The legislature isn't the last stop in the regulatory process, though. Here's the timeline ahead:
- May 8: Last day of the legislative session.
- July 1: Deadline for the Department of Revenue to adopt additional regulations.
- Oct. 1: Deadline for the Revenue Department to begin accepting applications for recreational marijuana stores. If the department has not yet adopted regulations for pot shops, local governments can begin issuing licenses to the stores.
- Jan. 1, 2014: Deadline for the Revenue Department to start issuing licenses to pot shops. Recreational marijuana sales begin in Colorado.
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: denverpost.com
Author: John Ingold
Contact: Contact Us - The Denver Post
Website: Marijuana bills on legislative agenda - The Denver Post
