Colorado

Colorado

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.

Patients surveyed are concerned over changes made by legislators in the past year that could severely limit patient access by limiting dosages and raising costs associated with entering the program. Most have a negative view of adult use cannabis in Colorado, saying that the increased product demand has driven up the price of medicine and made finding the right products more difficult.

Patient Rights and Civil Protections	50/100
Arrest Protection 25/25 Affirmative Defense 20/20 Parental Rights Protections 0/20 Employment Protections 0/20 DUI Protections 0/10 Explicit Privacy Standards 5/5
Access to Medicine	80/100
Authorizes Retail Access 10/10 Alternative Accessibility Methods 20/20 - Authorizes Delivery 10/10 - Authorizes Curbside Pickup 10/10 Personal Cultivation 15/15 Collective Gardening 0/5 Sufficient Number of Licenced Retailers 30/30 Reciprocity 5/20
Program Functionality	65/100
Legal Protections Within Reasonable Time Frame 20/20 Reasonable Possession Limits 10/10 Reasonable Purchase Limits 10/10 Telemedicine for Physician Certifications 0/15 Patient and Physician Representation in Program Decision Making 0/20 Reasonable Caregiver Standards 5/5 - Background Checks 2/2 - Number of Caregivers 3/3 Reasonable Physician Standards 5/5 Access to Administration Methods 10/10 - Allows Dried Flower 5/5 - Allows Edibles, Concentrates, and Other Forms 5/5 Provides Access to Minors on School Grounds 5/5
Affordability	60/100
Sales Tax Break for Patients and Caregivers 20/20 Covered by State Insurance or Health Aid 0/20 Reasonable Registration Fees 20/20 Financial Hardship Waivers or Discounts 20/20 Donation Program 0/10 Allows Multi-Year Registrations 0/10
Health and Social Equity	82/100
State Program Protections 25/25 Housing Protections 20/25 Access for Minors 10/10 Access in Underserved Areas 10/10 List of Qualifying Conditions is Exhaustive or All Inclusive 10/10 Allows Patients to Medicate Where they Choose 5/10 Organ Transplants 0/5 Ownership or Employment Restrictions 2/5
Consumer Protection and Product Safety	143/200
Total 38/50 Quality Management Systems 10/10 Staff Training 4/10 Standard Operating Procedures 8/8 - Facility and Equipment Sanitation 1/1 - Workplace Safety 1/1 - Storage 1/1 - Batch and Lot Tracking 1/1 - Security 1/1 - Waste Disposal 1/1 - Water Management 1/1 - Records Management 1/1 Pesticide Usage Limitations 2/2 Environmental Impact Regulations 0/2 Required Testing 6/8 - Cannabinoids 1/1 - Terpenes 0/1 - Microbials 1/1 - Aflatoxins 1/1 - Pesticides 1/1 - Heavy Metals 1/1 - Foreign Matter 0/1 - Moisture Content/ Water Activity 1/1 Packaging and Labeling 1/3 - Cannabinoids 1/1 - Terpenes 0/1 - Pesticides 0/1 Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting, and Recall Protocol 7/7 Total 42/50 Quality Management Systems 10/10 Staff Training 10/10 Standard Operating Procedures 7/7 - Facility and Equipment Sanitation 1/1 - Workplace Safety 1/1 - Storage 1/1 - Batch and Lot Tracking 1/1 - Security 1/1 - Waste Disposal 1/1 - Records Management 1/1 Environmental Impact Regulations 0/3 Required Testing 7/10 - Cannabinoids 1/1 - Terpenes 0/1 - Microbials 1/1 - Aflatoxins 1/1 - Pesticides 1/1 - Heavy Metals 1/1 - Residual Solvents 1/1 - Homogeneity 1/1 - Foreign Matter 0/1 - Water Activity 0/1 Packaging and Labeling 3/5 - Cannabinoids 1/1 - Terpenes 0/1 - Ingredients 1/1 - Allergens 1/1 - Nutritional Content 0/1 Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting and Recall Protocol 5/5 Total 25/50 Staff Training 5/20 Standard Operating Procedures 2/7 - Facility Sanitation 0/1 - Workplace Safety 0/1 - Storage 0/1 - Batch and Lot Tracking 0/1 - Security 1/1 - Waste Disposal 1/1 - Records Management 0/1 Product Testing 5/10 - Product Meets Requirements Before Sale 5/5 - COA Disclosure 0/5 Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting and Recall Protocol 13/13 Total 38/50 Independent or Third-Party 5/5 Laboratory Sampling 3/5 Method Validation 4/4 Quality Management Systems 5/5 Staff Training 10/20 Standard Operating Procedures 7/7 - Facility and Equipment Sanitation 1/1 - Equipment and Instrument Calibration 1/1 - Workplace Safety 1/1 - Sample Tracking 1/1 - Security 1/1 - Waste Disposal 1/1 - Records Management 1/1 Result Reporting 4/4
Score Penalties	20/100
Gives Regulatory Preference to Adult Use 20/20 Classifies Cannabis as a Medicine of Last Resort 0/15 Administrative or Supply Problems 0/15 Requires Vertical Integration 0/10 Creates New Criminal Penalties for Patients 0/10 Limits Patients to a Single Retailer 0/10 No System for Adding Qualifying Conditions 0/10 Imposes Bans or Limits on THC 0/5 Imposes Bans or Limits on CBD 0/5
Excerpted from ASA's 2021 State of the States Report.