As taprooms are to craft brewers, “tasting rooms” could be to Colorado cannabis purveyors, under a bill introduced late Monday.
Existing licensed medical and recreational marijuana businesses would be able to apply for a “marijuana accessory consumption establishment” endorsement under House Bill 1258, allowing for limited on-site sales and consumption.
“We don’t need people using marijuana in our parks or on our sidewalks,” Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont, a sponsor of the legislation, said in a statement. “This bill will help make sure people aren’t consuming more than they should and are doing it in an environment no different than what you would see at a winery or brewery.”
The 23-page bill outlines a slew of dos and don’ts for the tasting rooms, with notable nos including: no food, no alcohol, no employee consumption, no free samples and no BYO cannabis.
The bill would allow for adult patrons to vape cannabis flower and concentrate and to sample single-serving infused products. The language establishes purchase limits of 3.5 grams of flower, or 1 gram of concentrate or the standard infused product serving size containing 10 milligrams active THC.
The legislature is taking another stab at state-wide regulations for social use with HB 1258. A 2016 bill allowed local governments to regulate pot clubs, but that provision was stripped after facing opposition from Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper and others.
This story is developing and will be updated.
