Colorado
83,306
Registered Patient Population |
1.44%
of Total Population Represented by Patients |
449
Total Medical Retail Locations Currently in Operation |
186 : 1
Patients : Retail |
Cannabis is legal to all adults over 21 in Colorado. Dispensaries are widely available throughout the state. Patients may cultivate up to six plants, or 12 per household, at home. While in public, adults may possess up to 1 ounce, while patients may possess up to 2. Colorado does not recognize out of state medical cannabis cards.
 Patient Rights and Civil Protection |
62/100 |
|
| Arrest Protection |
40/40 |
| Affirmative Defense |
15/15 |
| Parental Rights Protections |
0/10 |
| DUI Protections |
0/5 |
| Employment Protections |
0/5 |
| Explicit Privacy Standards |
7/7 |
| Housing Protections |
0/5 |
| Does Not Create New Criminal Penalties for Patients |
0/5 |
| Organ Transplants |
0/5 |
| Reciprocity |
0/3 |
|
|
Access to Medicine |
88/100 |
|
| Allows Distribution Programs |
35/40 |
| – Allows Access to Dried Flowers |
15/15 |
| – Allows Delivery |
5/5 |
| – No Sales Tax or Reasonable Sales Tax |
4/5 |
| – Allows for a Reasonable Number of Dispensaries |
5/5 |
| – Does Not Require Vertical Integration |
2/2 |
| – Ownership/Employment Restrictions |
2/2 |
| – Provisions for Labor Standards |
0/2 |
| – Environmental Impact Regulations |
0/2 |
| – Choice of Dispensary Without Restrictions |
2/2 |
| Noncommercial Cultivation |
15/20 |
| – Personal Cultivation |
15/15 |
| – Collective Gardening |
0/5 |
| Explicit Right to Edibles/Concentrates/Other Forms |
10/10 |
| Does not Impose Bans or Limits on THC |
10/10 |
| Does not Impose Bans on CBD |
10/10 |
| Local Bans/Zoning |
8/10 |
|
|
Ease of Navigation |
89/100 |
|
| Comprehensive Qualifying Conditions |
47/50 |
| Adding New Conditions |
7/10 |
| – Law/Regulations Allow for New Conditions |
5/5 |
| – System Works for Adding New Conditions |
2/5 |
| Reasonable Access for Minors |
10/10 |
| Reasonable Caregiver Background Checks |
4/4 |
| Number of Caregivers |
2/2 |
| Patient/Practitioner-Focused Task Force or Advisory Board |
0/2 |
| Reasonable Fees (Patients and Caregivers) |
10/10 |
| Allows Multiple-Year Registrations |
0/2 |
| Reasonable Physician Requirements |
4/5 |
| Does Not Classify Cannabis as a Medicine of Last Resort |
5/5 |
|
|
Functionality |
92/100 |
|
| Patients Able to Access Medicine at Dispensaries or by Cultivation |
50/50 |
| No Significant Administrative or Supply Problems |
15/15 |
| Patients Can Receive Legal Protections Within Reasonable Time Frame of Doctor's Recommendation |
9/10 |
| Reasonable Possession Limits |
5/5 |
| Reasonable Purchase Limits |
4/5 |
| Allows Patients to Medicate Where They Choose |
3/3 |
| Covered by Insurance/State Health Aid |
0/5 |
| Financial Hardship (Fee Waivers/Discount Medicine) |
6/7 |
|
|
Consumer Safety and Provider Requirements |
63.67/100 |
|
| Dispensing |
18.33/25.00 |
| Staff Training |
5/5 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
5/5 |
| – Facility Sanitary Conditions |
1.25/1.25 |
| – Storage Protocols |
1.25/1.25 |
| – Reasonable Security Protocols |
1.25/1.25 |
| – Inventory Control |
1.25/1.25 |
| Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting |
0/5 |
| Product Labeling |
3.33/5 |
| – Product Contents, Including Source Material Identification |
1.67/1.67 |
| – Allergens |
1.67/1.67 |
| – Potency/Compound Identification |
0/1.67 |
| Required Testing |
5/5 |
| – Active Compound Identification |
1.67/1.67 |
| – Contaminants |
1.67/1.67 |
| – Potency |
1.67/1.67 |
| Grow/Cultivation |
14.00/25 |
| Staff Training |
0/5 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
5/5 |
| – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions |
0.71/0.71 |
| – Workforce Safety Protocols |
0.71/0.71 |
| – Storage Protocols (Short-Term and Long-Term Storage) |
0.71/0.71 |
| – Reasonable Security Protocols |
0.71/0.71 |
| – Batch and Lot Tracking |
0.71/0.71 |
| – Disposal/Waste |
0.71/0.71 |
| – Water Management |
0.71/0.71 |
| Pesticide Guidance |
4/5 |
| – Pesticide Guidance |
2/2.5 |
| – Pesticide Labeling |
2/2.5 |
| Required Testing |
5/5 |
| – Active Ingredient Identification |
1.25/1.25 |
| – Contaminants |
1.25/1.25 |
| – Potency |
1.25/1.25 |
| – Sample Retention |
1.25/1.25 |
| Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting |
0/5 |
| Manufacturing |
11.33/25 |
| Staff Training |
0/5 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
5/5 |
| – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions |
1/1 |
| – Workforce Safety Protocols |
1/1 |
| – Storage Protocols |
1/1 |
| – Reasonable Security Protocols |
1/1 |
| – Batch and Lot Tracking |
1/1 |
| Product Labeling |
3.33/5 |
| – Product Contents, Including Source Material Identification |
1.67/1.67 |
| – Allergens |
1.67/1.67 |
| – Potency and Compound Information |
0/1.67 |
| Required Testing |
3/5 |
| – Active Ingredient Identification |
1/1 |
| – Contaminants |
1/1 |
| – Potency |
1/1 |
| – Shelf Life Testing |
0/1 |
| – Sample Retention |
0/1 |
| Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting |
0/5 |
| Laboratory Operations |
20.00/25 |
| Staff Training |
5/5 |
| Method Validation in Accordance with AHP Guidelines |
0/5 |
| Result Reporting |
5/5 |
| Independent or Third Party |
5/5 |
| Standard Operating Procedures and Protocols |
5/5 |
| – Equipment and Instrument Calibration |
0.83/0.83 |
| – Sample Tracking |
0.83/0.83 |
| – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions |
0.83/0.83 |
| – Disposal/Waste |
0.83/0.83 |
| – Storage Protocols |
0.83/0.83 |
| – Workforce Safety Protocols |
0.83/0.83 |
|
|
Covid Response |
14/20
|
|
| Delivery Available? |
2/6
|
| Curbside Pickup Available? |
2/2
|
| Medical Cannabis Essential? |
7/7
|
| Telemedicine Available? |
3/5
|
|
| Excerpted from ASA's 2020 State of the States Report. |
In This Section
Amendment 20 amends the state constitution to authorize patients to possess and use medical cannabis and to be assisted by a caregiver. Colorado's second medical cannabis law, the Colorado Medical Marijuana Code, was enacted to establish a dual licensing mechanism that regulates medical cannabis business at both the state and local level.
Any patient with a valid registry card may legally use marijuana for medicinal purposes and their caregiver may assist them in doing so.
Medical professionals recommending medical cannabis must be an MD or DO in good standing with an active Colorado medical license. Physicians with conditions or restrictions on their licenses, or out-of-state licenses, are not accepted. Physicians must have an active DEA certification.
The State of Medical Marijuana in Colorado
