Colorado could allow marijuana dispensaries to operate on-site “tasting rooms” if Gov. John Hickenlooper signs a landmark public cannabis consumption bill passed by legislators.
The Colorado state House on Thursday voted 57-8 in favor of an amended version of House Bill 1258, a first-of-its kind legislation that would permit pot shops within the state to let customers consume limited amounts of cannabis without leaving its place of purchase.
Coloradans legalized marijuana by approving a ballot measure in 2012, Amendment 64, but its language specifically excluded “consumption that is conducted openly and publicly or in a manner that endangers others.”
Less than six years after voters made Colorado the first state in the country to legalize recreational marijuana and retail sales, Mr. Hickenlooper’s signature on HB 1258 would establish the nation’s first statewide rules for onsite use.
“We don’t need people using marijuana in our parks or on our sidewalks,” said Rep. Jonathan Singer, a Democrat who sponsored the bill. “This bill will help make sure people aren’t consuming more than they should and are doing it in an environment no different than what you would see at a winery or brewery.”
If signed by Mr. Hickenlooper, a Democrat, the House bill would authorize “each licensed medical marijuana center or retail marijuana store to establish one retail marijuana accessory consumption establishment … that may sell marijuana, marijuana concentrate, and marijuana-infused products for consumption, other than smoking, at the establishment.”
Existing dispensaries could apply for a “marijuana accessory consumption establishment” endorsement to operate tasting rooms valid for one year, and cities and municipalities would have the final say with respect to allowing on-site use.
Mr. Hickenlooper’s office is still reviewing the bill, The Denver Post reported Thursday.
Passage of Amendment 64 allowed recreational marijuana sales to start in Colorado effective 2014, and currently 509 retail dispensaries operate within the state, according to the legislature.
If approved, the public consumption bill is expected to increase state cash fund revenue by $75,000 in fiscal year 2018 and $100,000 in fiscal year 2019, Colorado’s Legislative Council Staff wrote in a fiscal note filed with the bill.
A total of nine states and D.C. have legalized recreation marijuana, Colorado included, despite federal law prohibiting the plant.
Cities in Colorado and California have previously adopted policies allowing business to permit marijuana consumption, but the House bill sent to Mr. Hickenlooper’s desk is the first to establish rules on a state level.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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