Cannabis News
Colorado Lawmakers Reject Bill That Would Have Put Marijuana And Alcohol Tax Hike On Ballot To Fund Mental Health Treatment
Colorado lawmakers have rejected a bill that would have put a measure on the state’s November ballot that would have asked voters. increase taxes on marijuana and alcohol to support mental health treatment.
Following the recommendation of the bicameral Capital Development Committee (CDC) last week, members of the House Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday defeated the legislation in a 7-6 vote by Senators Bob Marshall (D) and Judy Amabile (D).
“We’ve made our criminal system the default mental health system for people over 18. It’s been a travesty,” Marshall said Wednesday before the panel’s vote to reject his bill. “It’s been a known plague for years and years and years, and yet nothing is happening to fix the problem.
“At the end of the day, this is something that has to be done,” the sponsor said of HB 1301, which would raise taxes on substances and raise additional revenue to create a mental health fund overseen by the state Department of Human Services (DHS). “And if we don’t do it now, the problem will only get worse.”
If it had advanced in the Legislature, voters across the state would have decided to raise the state’s retail marijuana sales and excise tax by 0.42 percentage points on the November ballot. Taxes on alcohol would also rise for the first time in more than 30 years, at varying levels depending on the type of product.
“The bill requires the treasurer to transfer to the hospital support account created in the capital building fund an amount equal to the tax revenue obtained as a result of the bill,” the summary summarizes. measure he said DHS would be able to spend the funds “in order of priority,” starting with establishing a mental health institute in Aurora, then going toward the institute’s operational costs and a “long-term civil commitment facility” in Mesa County.
Under the amendments passed in committee on Wednesday, the tax increase on alcohol would be reduced slightly, but not for cannabis. The bill’s title was also revised in response to input from the state attorney general, and a fiscal note was added to the $14,000 in programmatic costs, which the sponsor said would come out of the general fund.
At last week’s CDC meeting, Rep. Tammy Story (D), the panel’s vice chairwoman, asked Marshall’s House bill sponsor how the proposal to raise marijuana taxes reconciles the fact that the state has seen a decline in cannabis sales and resulting revenue in recent years. Marshall said he appreciated the concerns, but had no plans to decriminalize cannabis.
“In looking back maybe a the sales the tax maybe be be better,” Marshall admitted Wednesday. “But is in the year has the title now—‘the tax good harmful substances’—and we put marijuana in the year there in has the suggestion of a couple of has sheriffs, simply to share it has pain, so to talk.”
Marijuana industry representatives have it criticize The bill’s marijuana tax provision is partly because the state already imposes significant taxes on cannabis sales compared to other states and products. Making it more expensive for consumers to buy marijuana from licensed dealers could also hurt efforts to stamp out the illegal market by drawing buyers to unlicensed sources that won’t generate tax dollars for the state.
In the meantime the state is expected to exceed $1 billion in marijuana sales by 2025, a milestone the governor announced in December.—tax revenue from cannabis sales has steadily declined over the past five years as more states have implemented legalization and intoxicating hemp products have grown in popularity. However, cannabis brings in more tax dollars than alcohol or cigarettes.
Adult marijuana is currently taxed at three levels in Colorado: a 15 percent excise tax, a 15 percent excise tax, and a general state sales tax of 2.9 percent. As one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, Colorado’s revenue from such sales “grew steadily over the first eight years of legalization to $424.4 million by 2020-21,” according to a state report released last month.
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Meanwhile, the Colorado House of Representatives sent a bill to the governor last week allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana in healthcare facilities such as hospitals. Advocates have been critical of the changes made throughout the legislative process; for example, arguing that hospitals would be right to do so. option– than mandate—The use of medical cannabis in their facilities fundamentally undermines the intention of the reform.
Gov. Jared Polis (D) also said last month his state did not have to join a lawsuit supporting a federal ban on the possession of guns by people who use marijuana that recently went before the US Supreme Court, and he personally opposes the state attorney general’s “legal position on this.”
user photo Brian Shamblen.
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Cannabis News
Columbia hemp business Burning Acre to close and move to North Carolina over new Tennessee rules
Burning Acre, a Columbia, Tennessee-based hemp company, says it will close its retail store and move operations to North Carolina ahead of new state regulations that take effect July 1, according to WSMV.
The business says its last day to open in Columbia will be June 30, the same day the Tennessee Department of Agriculture licenses for hemp-derived cannabinoids expire. As of July 1, businesses that continue to operate in the state will be required to be licensed under a new regulatory framework led by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
Burning Acre says the changes have forced it to abandon plans for a new sandwich shop and bakery and close its Tennessee retail operations and relocate to Murphy, North Carolina. “I won’t sugarcoat it, it’s a very hard video for me and a message I should never have written,” the business wrote.
The business puts the annual cost of manufacturing, distribution and running the retail store at about $750. Under the new rules, he says, those costs would rise by tens of thousands of dollars, citing new licensing fees, a required $25,000 annual bond and increased testing fees.
The law, which took effect in July, changes the regulation of hemp-derived cannabinoid businesses from the Department of Agriculture to the ABC. The Department of Agriculture stopped issuing licenses at the end of 2025, and the licenses issued by the TDA will remain valid until June 30, 2026.
“Columbia, we absolutely love being a part of this community,” said Burning Acre. “We are truly heartbroken to have to say goodbye to this location.”
Read more at WSMV4
Cannabis News
North Carolina Lawmakers Advance Bill To Set A Minimum Age Limit For Hemp And Kratom Products
Well, it’s not 2026 photos, but with around 600 photos, we definitely did our best. For the past two days, the Netherlands has been the place to be for the global greenhouse industry. From Flower Trials for the horticulture sector, company visits to growers and technical suppliers, as well as dinners, get-togethers, drinks, knowledge sessions and much more. And of course with GreenTech Amsterdam.
The event brought together professionals from around the world to connect, network, share knowledge and do business.
Next week, we’ll be sharing more information on market developments, trends, what’s on display, news, business news, innovations and whatever else you can think of, but for now we’ll stick to photo reporting.
Click here for the photo report.
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