The governor of Colorado has signed off on a new bill that allows for online sales of cannabis.
The measure, introduced by Reps. William Lindstedt (D), Robert Rodriguez (D), and Said Sharbini (D) passed through the legislature in May.
It removes existing language from Colorado’s marijuana laws that explicitly prohibits the sale of cannabis on the internet and introduces new provisions to allow for regulated online purchases.
Colorado’s cannabis consumers must still pick up orders placed online in person, but they can look through the products available on the company’s website first and make their selection and payment before heading to the store.
The new law requires customers to provide their name and age at the time of the purchase, and retailers are obliged to verify that this matches the identification of the person picking up the order.
Retailers must also furnish customers with “digital versions of all warning or educational materials that the retail marijuana store is required to post and provide on its licensed premises.”
The customer must then acknowledge that they have received these materials before finalizing their order.
Aside from customer convenience, Sen. Kevin Van Winkle ( R), noted last month that the bill would help combat dispensary robberies by ensuring less cash is held on site.
“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,” he said. “It sets them up for a tremendous amount of potential theft, and other things.”
Polis has frequently come out in support of the federal Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which would help facilitate digital sales of cannabis through the country’s largest banks and financial institutions, but the Senate remains slow to act on a bill approved by the House on six occasions, in one form or another.
Polis has been busy signing other drug reform legislation into law recently. He approved a bill that will provide greater protections for employees that use cannabis off the job, and another that would establish a regulatory framework for the legal use of psychedelics, following the passage of a voter-approved ballot initiative.
