Laws and Regulations: Marijuana in Colorado
With the start of the New Year, the state of Colorado legalized recreational use of marijuana, becoming the first place in the world where growth of the hemp will be regulated from seed to sale.
Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America, after alcohol, and tobacco, according to the marijuana reform group NORML. Colorado is now the first state in the nation to legalize the recreational use of the drug. Washington also said yes, but this state won’t open the retail outlets until later in 2014.
The retail weed will have a 25 percent sales tax plus the usual state sales tax of 2.9 percent and the additional revenue will initially amount to 67 million a year, with 27.5 million of it designated to build schools, state tax officials say.
Regarding the rules and regulations, Fossil Ridge High School resource officer Tammy Holpuch said that if you are found with the drug on your person, you are charged $200 and the offense goes on your record. However, you can have the offense expunged from your record when you turn 18, but you have to go through court. “If you’re driving under the influence, you can get in trouble, just like with prescription drugs or narcotics,” said Holpuch. You can also get in trouble if the drugs are merely in your car, and the petty offense is similar to an M.I.P (Minor in Possession) for alcohol. Students still cannot use the drug legally, obviously, as you have to be 21 years old. Holpuch says that marijuana is hard to detect and the tests to do so are expensive. “I don’t agree with the legalization of it, no. Some argue there’s a medical benefit, but I don’t exactly see it… Marijuana also leads to other drugs; it truly is a gateway drug,” said Holpuch, “The adults I know who do it periodically aren’t exactly success stories either.”
For more information concerning the laws about marijuana usage and cultivation, see below.
The new laws according NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws)
• If someone is 21 years or older, they can buy up to one ounce at a licensed store with a Colorado ID
• People outside of the state can buy a quarter ounce
• Users can share an ounce with friends as long as there is no money involved
• Individual communities can still choose not to allow recreational use, and many have opted out, including Greeley, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins
• People are allowed to grow up to six plants in their home, but the plants must be enclosed or locked, and the owner of the plants must be 21
• A motorist in Colorado can be ticketed for impaired driving if his or her blood shows more than five nanograms of active THC
• It’s a felony to sell or distribute marijuana, especially to a minor
• Possession of paraphernalia is a petty offense and there is a $100 fine
For more information, visit: http://norml.org/laws/item/colorado-penalties
