Colorado looks to ban co-op marijuana grows to block black market
Published: Mar 6, 2017, 7:11 am • Updated: Mar 6, 2017, 8:26 am
By The Associated Press
DENVER — Colorado may ban collective marijuana growing under a bill that calls some patient-owned marijuana grows a “public nuisance.”
A bill up for its first hearing in a House committee Monday would ban co-op pot growing by setting a statewide limit of 12 marijuana plants per residential property.
The change would effectively force some medical marijuana patients to buy from a licensed grower instead of growing their own plants.
Related stories
- Cannabist Show: She runs Marijuana Industry Group; He’s an MMJ patient who kicked opioids
- Here are 5 challenges facing states that wade into marijuana legalization
- Report: Colorado weed is now a behemoth with a $2.4 billion economic impact
- Colorado pot shops have already sold $270 million of marijuana in 2016
- Colorado shops sold more than $92 million of pot in February ’16
Supporters including Gov. John Hickenlooper say the change is needed to eliminate black-market pot growers.
Supporters say criminals are hiding under a Colorado law that allows medical marijuana patients to have as many pot plants as their doctor recommends, then selling that pot on the black market.
Patient advocates say increased tax revenue is the real goal of the change.
Topics: black market, co-op, Colorado, medical marijuana, plant limits
