Despite our national reputation for legalized marijuana use, it’s truly interesting for the consumer how vague the cannabis laws in Colorado can be.
Marijuana is still a Schedule 1 drug under federal law and possession is punishable under federal statutes.
What Colorado initiated and other states have followed, is that any federal statutes will be left up to local law enforcement discretion. Still, there are many important items for individuals to be aware of when they are visiting or relocating to Colorado.
What is Legal
In Colorado, if you are 21 years of age or older, it is legal to buy cannabis and smoke it in your private home or designated smoke-friendly private areas. It’s legal to consume edibles and even carry some on your person – depending on whether you are a medical user, recreational user, resident of Colorado or visitor, and this is an evolving metric.
The law starts to get messy with edibles: in that you can buy a lot of edibles and not face any kind of limitation. That will likely change, but for now be aware that the potency of edibles can also vary from location to location.
What is Illegal
Just because you can buy cannabis and bring it with you while you are in Colorado, there are still federal guidelines in force. For example, you cannot legally carry cannabis across state lines.
Highway officers are federally employed, so if you’re high and driving, even in Colorado, you may get pulled over and searched. This is a legal grey area because there is no real way for officers to do “on the spot” marijuana tests as they have to test your blood level. Still, you can bet that the government is already working on that.
It is also illegal to give marijuana to minors. Reselling marijuana is also illegal; you can grow certain amounts of cannabis if you live in Colorado, but you can only grow it for personal use.
Be Smart
Regarding cannabis laws in Colorado and on the national level, this is an evolving and exciting time! Be sure to be smart and follow the laws. At Kind Meds, we are happy to help you understand and follow the Colorado cannabis laws. We’re also happy to help you find the best bud, edibles and accessories for your cannabis consumption.