As cannabis legalization expands across the United States, changes are under foot here in Colorado. Colorado was one of the first states to legalize recreational cannabis use for individuals over the age of 21, and has laid much of the groundwork and precedents other regions refer to for guidance with cannabis legislation.
In the last year several amendments have been made to Colorado’s medical and recreational cannabis laws. A few examples are: changing legal amounts of high potency cannabis products (HPP) an individual may purchase, required information on packaging, types of cannabis products that may be sold within the state, and access for patients. As the cannabis laws in Colorado continue to change, it looks like some maybe not so light reading will be in store for you the next time you go to purchase your cannabis concentrate. Well, maybe not the next time as the law does not go into effect until 2022, but yes, your future dabs will come with a 4-page warning label and recommended dose instructions.
On Nov 19th, 2021, Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) informed commercial stakeholders /public of the basic requirements for an upcoming 4-page document /pamphlet that must be provided with commercial and medical sales of HPP starting in 2022.
The educational pamphlet is one requirement of the many changes for Colorado’s cannabis laws that came from HB-1317, which passed earlier this year and will be implementing stricter rules on access to HPP and information about HPP. Although 1317 was aimed at cannabis patients, education requirements and correlating consequences will affect commercial sales and customers as well. One section of the pamphlet will be dedicated to information about possible mental health illnesses that may have origins in cannabis use and physical ailments such as “cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS)” (Mitchell, 2021). Information to public health services for assistance with these disorders will be listed on the pamphlet also.
Additional information will be regarding dose recommendations, which at the time of this writing, have not been fully settled on. Opinions differ on the subject, and people’s bodies process differently depending on pre-existing conditions and tolerance levels.
Critiques of the pamphlet requirement range from environmental concerns and consequences such as littering, increased pollution, and use of paper in an unsustainable manner.
Other critiques are businesses having to hire more employees in order to meet the increased demands on dispensary workers and the increased costs of labor trickling down to the dispensary customers.
It is unknown at this time how often dispensaries will be required to provide this information to clients, but there will for sure be required reading with purchase of your HPP at Colorado dispensaries starting 2022. From one cannabis user to another, I recommend purchasing a Sativa or Hybrid strain before having to do your new reading as we would not want you to doze off in the middle of the government’s interference in your necessary medical use and/or consenting adult recreational use.
Amberdawn Speer.
Colorado to Require Four-Page Warning With Marijuana Concentrate Sales
Thomas Mitchell November 23, 2021
Mitchell, T. (2021, December 8). Colorado to require four-page warning with marijuana concentrate sales. Westword. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://www.westword.com/marijuana/colorado-four-page-health-warning-marijuana-concentrate-sales-12763763.
