MJBiz - March/April 2024 - 19

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
Colorado
Several new cannabis laws went into effect Jan. 8 in Colorado, addressing issues such as online
retail sales, intoxicating hemp products, lab testing and hospitality.
The new laws and rules highlighted by the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division
include:
* House Bill 23-1279: Lifts restrictions for online cannabis product orders and payments at
retail stores.
* Senate Bill 23-271: Authorizes regulators to develop rules and potential restrictions regarding
chemical modifications, conversions or synthetic derivatives of cannabinoids. The
law also allows cultivators to source marijuana seeds, immature plants and genetics from
providers within and outside Colorado's regulated market.
* SB 23-199: Allows operators to renew state license applications without local approval if
documentation proves licensees sought local approval and have a valid reason why it was
not obtained.
Several new rules affecting the state's hospitality sector also were announced, including:
* Increasing sales allowances for retail marijuana hospitality businesses up to 1 ounce of
flower, 8 grams of concentrate and 100 milligrams of THC.
* Mandating that hospitality businesses provide consumers with information about safe
transportation as well as establishing standard operating procedures to prevent overconsumption
and transactions to those displaying visible signs of intoxication.
* Eliminating certain surveillance requirements in areas where spa services are provided.
Florida
A proposal advanced in the Senate could make Florida the third state in the U.S. to impose a
marketwide potency cap on adult-use marijuana.
The 30% THC cap on smokable flower, proposed in Senate Bill 7050, received a favorable
vote in the state Senate Health Policy Committee. If the proposal were to pass the full Legislature
and be signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida would join Connecticut and Vermont
as the only states to restrict THC in smokable flower.
" All other forms of marijuana " except edibles would be capped at 60% THC. Adult-use edibles
in Florida would have a maximum amount of THC of 200 milligrams per package and 10
milligrams per serving. The edibles limits are in line with other state rules.
An earlier bill in the Florida House proposed a 10% cap, but that legislation was ditched in
committee in favor of a 30% limit.
Hawaii
State lawmakers introduced several marijuana-related bills this session, as momentum grows
to establish an adult-use program in Hawaii after Gov. Josh Green again signaled support for
legalization.
The proposals, according to the Hawaii Tribune Herald in Hilo, include:
* House Bill 2037, which would create a ballot measure asking voters to legalize retail sales
for those 21 and older and amend the state constitution.
* Senate Bill 2487, which would repeal criminal penalties for possession of marijuana up to
1 ounce.
* SB 2689, which would mandate that the state process and expunge records of those
arrested and convicted for possessing 3 grams or less of marijuana, which has since been
decriminalized.
While adult-use legalization efforts have failed to gain ground the past few years in
Hawaii's House of Representatives, industry insiders are optimistic legislation could pass in
the 2024 session.
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MJBiz - March/April 2024

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