Colorado

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.

Becoming a Patient in Colorado

Recommending Cannabis in Colorado

History Of Medical Cannabis In Colorado

Policy Recommendations Colorado