Colorado has officially legalized online marijuana sales as of Monday. This gives consumers a way to order cannabis, more than 10 years after the state’s legalization.
It comes just two months after Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, signed into law the Online Sales Legislation from Reps. William Lindstedt, Said Sharbini and Robert Rodriguez.
The measure removes language from the state statute that expressly prohibits cannabis being sold online, and adds regulations to allow for online commerce.
Adults over 21 will still have to visit the store in person to pick up their marijuana products, but can browse online and purchase cannabis electronically before visiting the shop.
The new legislation requires that retailers verify the name, age and address of customers when making an online purchase. This information must match the identification they present at the time they pick up their products.
Customers will be required to acknowledge receipt of the materials provided by the retailer before completing their purchase.
“What the bill mainly aims to do, from my perspective, is reduce cash in the marijuana space, which is something that is exceedingly important to do because when there is a tremendous amount of cash in any industry, it can lead to some troubling outcomes–specifically things like robbery,” Sen. Kevin Van Winkle (R) said on the Senate floor in May. It opens them up to a lot of theft and other issues.
The state lawmakers also hope that Congress will pass the bipartisan Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act to further resolve the marijuana industries unique financial and safety issues. During the summer session , efforts on the Senate’s side to achieve this goal were unsuccessful due to disagreements over a section relating to broader banking regulations.
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Polis has, in the meantime, signed a number drug policy reform laws over the past few weeks.
He also approved recent legislation that will strengthen marijuana-related protections for working professionals within the state, effectively codifying a executive order he released last year.
In May, he also signed a bill to create an administrative framework for the legalization of psychedelics in accordance with a voter-approved measure.
In an interview last week, he said that the state’s efforts to legalize marijuana and psychedelics had resulted in “very positive” experiences . He believes that adults should be able to make their own decisions about drugs.
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