HB 18-1381

HB 18-1381, known as Permissive Medical Marijuana Vertical Integration, changes Colorado’s medical marijuana laws by allowing dispensaries to buy cannabis from any grow facility instead of just their own. This change happens in phases: starting July 1, 2018, for one year, dispensaries and grow facilities can trade up to half of their inventory wholesale, excluding certain parts of the plant. After July 1, 2019, there are no more restrictions on how much cannabis they can buy from each other. The bill also lets patients who have a doctor’s recommendation get more than two ounces at once and requires them to register with their main dispensary and sign an affidavit stating they don’t grow their own marijuana. This bill has been signed into law, meaning these changes are now in effect.

Official Summary

Under current law, a medical marijuana center must source 70% of the medical marijuana it sells from its associated optional premises cultivation facility. Similarly, an optional premises cultivation facility must have 70% of the medical marijuana it cultivates sold through its associated medical marijuana center. The bill eliminates that requirement and allows medical marijuana centers to source medical marijuana from any optional premises cultivation facility. The bill creates a transition period between the current limited sourcing model that begins July 1, 2018. For one year from that date, medical marijuana centers and optional premises cultivation facilities can purchase and sell 50% of their inventory as a wholesale transaction, and medical marijuana trim is not included in the calculation of the percentage. Then, on or after July 1, 2019, an optional premises cultivation facility may sell any amount of the medical marijuana it cultivates to any medical marijuana center. Similarly, a medical marijuana center may source its medical marijuana from any optional premises cultivation facility without restriction. Additionally, the state licensing authority shall adopt a production management system similar to the system in the retail marijuana code. The bill allows a medical marijuana center to sell medical marijuana acquired from an optional premises cultivation facility licensee or medical marijuana-infused products manufacturer licensee. A medical marijuana center can sell more than 2 ounces to a patient if that patient has a recommended extended ounce count from his or her physician and registers with the medical marijuana center as his or her primary center. The patient also has to sign an affidavit that he or she does not have a primary caregiver cultivating medical marijuana on his or her behalf. The bill makes conforming amendments. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

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