Colorado hearing scheduled on regressive cannabis bill

A March 4 committee hearing has been scheduled in Colorado on a regressive bill — SB 25-076 — that would ban adults 21-24 from buying cannabis with more than 10% THC while making other changes that increase waste, drive up prices, and hamstring the industry.

SB 25-076 would:

• Limit inhaled cannabis to 500 milligrams of THC per package, making it illegal to sell even an ⅛ ounce (at 14.2% or more potency) per package and requiring consumers to purchase twice as many vape carts for the same amount of THC
• Drive up costs, and thus prices, and waste, making legal cannabis less competitive with the illicit market and hemp-derived synthetic cannabinoids
• Prohibit adults 21-24 from buying cannabis with over 10% THC, driving 90% of sales to young adults to the much riskier illicit market

If you live in Colorado, ask your lawmakers to defeat this regressive bill.

To go the extra mile, you can testify in person, in writing, or remotely.

What: Senate Business, Labor, and Technology hearing on SB 25-076
When: Tuesday, March 4, 2:00 p.m.
Where: Old Supreme Court Chamber, 200 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO 80203 — or online.

Driving 21-24-year-olds to the illicit and hemp-derived synthetic THC market is a terrible move for health and safety. Recently, a smoke shop's THC products were found laced with fentanyl. And in 2019, illicit THC vapes were found to have an unsafe additive that caused lung injury and death.

Meanwhile, state-legal cannabis businesses are already struggling to compete with the illicit and hemp-derived synthetics markets, which don't have to pay excise taxes or comply with costly lab and regulatory costs. The bill would kill jobs and jeopardize small businesses, driving sales underground.